Power of an Imprint
by McKennaBlack
Summary: On the way to visit her mother in La Push, an unusual draw towards an animal in the forest causes Tala Bass to have a car accident. Not only does the accident open her eyes to a new world, but it also unleashes an ability she never knew she had.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

The drive from Seattle to La Push wasn't necessarily a boring drive. I drove by small towns and beautiful scenery along the way, but once I took the one-ten exit off one-oh-one, the surroundings looked the same. It was easy to drift off in thought and let your subconscious take over the wheel when everything looked similar and it didn't seem like I was getting anywhere in particular. The forest of Olympic National Park surrounding the highway was stunning with its lush green covering.

Growing up in the Olympic Peninsula I was used to the scenery and learned to appreciate it. I grew up in the Neah Bay on the reservation of the Makah Tribe. Both of my parents were Makah. After my father died in a fishing accident two years ago, my mother, Anna, moved to La Push to live near her only sister Elizabeth Call. I have one cousin, Embry. Besides a second cousin, whom I've never met, we're the last of our immediate family.

Being part of the Makah Nation I grew up around fishing, wildlife and the natural beauty of the peninsula. It influenced me to go to Seattle University and get a degree in environmental studies. I wasn't so much interested in the planning, law, and political science part of the studies. I was interested in the forestry, geography, and conservation part of it. I was very interested in the internship offer I received from the Student Conversation Society for Wolves and Whales that would start up during the summer. I still had about a week before I needed to make a decision. How could I pass up the offer? My name is Tala, which means "wolf." I believed it was fate! Tala Bass, Conservationist. It sounded good.

I had only visited La Push twice before this trip. Nnce to help my mother move from the Makah rez after my father died. I was on Spring Break from school during the move and offered up ey services to my mother. I canceled my trip to Mexico with my boyfriend, Matt, and friends from school, to help my mom move. Matt wasn't too happy about it, but it was my mom. She needed help. What could I do? Matt decided to go on the Mexico trip without me. He never offered to help move my mother. We went that whole week without calling each other, both angry with each other's decision. This is what our relationship was like most of the time. We often did things that upset or hurt one another.

Matt couldn't accompany me on this trip either. He already started his internship which would take him through the summer with the possibility of a full time job with a major law firm in Seattle. He always tried to get me to focus more on the environmental law part of my degree so that I would also get a high-paying job and we could both settle down in Seattle and live happily every after. Yuck. "Yuck" to the "environmental law" part. Not the "settling down" part. The settling down part sounded wonderful. Although I saw myself as an independent woman, I certainly wanted someone to take care of me and share my life with. I'm not exactly sure it was something I wanted to do with Matt. I knew, without a doubt, that I didn't want to work in a prestigious office in downtown Seattle. Our relationship wasn't perfect. But what relationship was? Matt wasn't the type of person who thought about me with every decision. He wasn't protective. He wasn't there for me every time I needed him. I rarely had his undivided attention. Just about all the guys I've known have been like that though. But he was nice and we had some good times together.

All these thoughts were rolling around my mind while I was driving that stretch of road on U.S. Highway 110. I only had a couple more minutes until I arrived to my mom's house and I was eager to see her. Out of the corner of my eye, in my peripheral view, I thought I saw a flash of sandy-brown mixed in with the green forest coverings. I slowed down a little to make sure I was prepared for an animal to cross my path. It often happens on this section of road and I didn't have my cell phone battery charged. If I hit an animal, I may have to wait awhile until someone stopped to assist me. It was just before dusk on a Sunday afternoon and I hadn't seen a car in miles.

As I slowed down I saw the sandy-brown flash again. It was slowing down too, but I still couldn't make out the shape. All I noticed was the size. It was huge and furry. I wasn't frightened, I was fascinated. Every once in awhile the glare from the setting sun between the trees would blind my vision. I was trying to keep my eyes on the road, but there was an odd pull that kept me looking toward the thick trees. The combination of the glare from the sun and the attraction to the animal made me lose my concentration on the road. I looked up and saw that my car was headed towards a moss covered tree that had fallen along side the road. I quickly tugged the steering wheel, compensating a little too much. The next thing I remember seeing was the mossy bark of an upright tree.

************

I could feel the warm moisture trickling down my temple towards my chin. The sound of my heart beat was pounding in my ears. I could hear the hiss of the crumpled engine as steam and fluid escaped it. I was falling in and out of consciousness struggling to keep my eyes open. Each time I managed to pry them open, I saw something that should have startled me. I noticed a silent, large sandy-brown, hairy mass pass along the passenger side of the car. I saw a huge muzzle peek in the shattered driver's side window and it let out a soft whimper. The snout took up most of the window of my small car. And then I heard a very loud howl that probably could have shattered the remaining windows in my car. I jerked a little from the noise, but I wasn't scared. Instead, I had an overwhelming feeling of comfort and protection. I finally surrendered to the drowsiness.


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter: S. Meyer owns Twilight and its world. I'm just borrowing her idea.

Chapter 2

I was conscious enough to tell I was in the hospital from the beeping sound of the machine monitoring my heartbeats. I was aware of the IV in my left wrist. I could sense that someone was near me, but I didn't have the strength to talk or open my eyes to figure out who it was. I felt two large warm hands envelope my right hand. The current of energy that came from the touch made me take a deep breath and sigh. I still didn't wake up. I felt too relaxed and content to try to wake up but I wanted to know who my visitor was.

Just then I heard a door open and a hushed, male voice say, "What are you doing? If she wakes up she's going to wonder who the hell you are! You can't just spring it on her in the hospital!" I felt a blistering set of lips kiss my forehead. I heard a soft deep whisper say, "I'm so sorry." Then my visitor was gone.

***************

The next time I came around I was feeling a little stronger. I opened my eyes and I saw a small, round woman sitting in a chair next to my bed filling out a crossword puzzle. Yep, I was in the hospital alright. I wasn't imagining that part.

"Hey Mom," I was able to croak out. My throat was dry and I was so thirsty. At the sound of my voice my mom jerked her head up in surprise and rushed over to me.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" she asked while stroking my cheek. Her eyes looked as though she hadn't slept much lately and her face was puckered with worry.

"Okay. Just a little sore and feeling a little loopy. My head hurts. Can I get some water?" My voice was so raspy. As my mom handed me a glass of water I noticed I had a bandage on my head. I lifted my hand to feel the bandage and noticed there wasn't a lot of hair on that part of my head. I let out a gasp. The whole left side of my head was hairless with only a small amount of new growth stubble. What startled me the most was the size of the bump.

"What happened?" I screeched which didn't help my throat. My mom handed me my water and I carefully sipped it. The water gave me instant relief.

"You had a bad car accident. You hit a tree. Your head hit the driver's side window." My mother was speaking carefully trying not to upset me. "The doctor said you had a severe concussion, but you're going to be fine. Don't you remember anything that happened?"

Other than what happened to my head, I remembered everything that happened, but I wasn't going to tell anyone about it. They would think I was losing it, perhaps confused from the concussion. "No, I don't remember anything. I must've fallen asleep," I mumbled.

"The EMT told the doctor you kept asking 'Where's the wolf?' Did an animal run out in front of you?" I could tell my mom was trying to get some answers out of me. A wolf? Is that what that thing was? It was too large to be a wolf. And then I remembered the large snout that entered my driver's side window. "Tala, do you remember any animal running in front of your car?" she asked again interrupting my thoughts.

"No, I don't remember any animal," muttered.

"Well, the doctor said you may suffer from short term memory loss. Perhaps you'll remember things later. You get some rest. I'll call the nurse in to look you over now that you're awake." My mom didn't seem as anxious. She quickly ran out of the room to seek a nurse.

When she opened the door I noticed my cousin Embry hanging out in the hall. I thought that was nice of him to be here. Then before the door shut I saw another guy peek in the room at me. From the brief glance I had of him, I could tell he was just as large as Embry, with the same cropped hair cut. He had large, dark beautiful eyes. They captivated me along with his big toothy smile. Embry was pushing him away from the door muttering something softly at him. In just that short peek into the hallway I felt this overwhelming feeling of happiness and a need to be near him. I smiled at him. Once the door shut that feeling was intensified. I wanted him near me and that confused me. The energy between us during that brief eye contact gave me an array of feelings that I couldn't understand. I didn't even know this man! I was about to call out to him in the hallway and invite him in but the door opened again and my mom returned with a nurse. I tried peeking around them, but I didn't see anyone else in the hall.

As the nurse took my vitals, I tried to concentrate on her questions, but all I wanted to think about was the mysterious man out in the hallway. I kept peeking at the door hoping it would open. Finally my curiosity took the best of me.

"Mom, did I see Embry out there? Did he have someone with him?" I tried to sound casual, but I was dying to know who the other man was.

"Yeah, those sweet boys," she had a look of admiration on her face. "A few of Embry's friends were the ones that found you," she continued. "They happened to be driving by and called an ambulance. There have been at least two of them here the last few days. But the one kid is here everyday. What's his name…?" She paused to remember his name. I needed to know his name! "He's Sue Clearwater's son, Leah's brother. You remember playing with Leah when we would come to visit, don't you?" I could tell she was testing my memory. She was starting to get sidetracked from my question. I shook my head. I didn't remember Leah. I definitely didn't remember her brother's name. I wanted to meet him. I wanted to see him again.

"Mom! What's his name?" I sounded a little too impatient. My mom gave me a shocked curious look. I realized I was being rude. "I'm sorry mom," I apologized. "I'm feeling a little grouchy. I shouldn't have snapped at you." I was feeling tired and I hoped to fall back to sleep soon, but I needed some answers.

The nurse interrupted our conversation to let us know that my vitals looked good, but she was going to call in the doctor for the final word. She asked about my pain level and I rated it about a five out of ten. As she opened up the door I tried to peek out to see if I could catch a glimpse of anyone out in the hallway. I didn't see anyone, but I could hear a couple husky voices whispering in the hallway. I couldn't make out what they were saying.

"It's ok sweetheart. How about I go and get you some more water and you just try to go back to sleep." Mom got up to walk out of the room.

"But Mom, you didn't…" I tried again to ask if she knew his name, but the door opened and a doctor came in interrupting my question. The doctor was a petite man with white hair and a funny handlebar mustache. "Miss Bass!" he practically hollered. For a doctor who dealt with head injuries you would think he would be quieter. He must have noticed me wince. "Sorry," he lowered his voice, "I'm glad to see you are awake!" He continued to explain my injuries to me and the symptoms I needed to look out for. He told me I needed to stay two more days in the hospital for observation. Then, I could go home. I wouldn't be going home actually; I would be going to my mother's. She insisted on taking care of me. "As long as you come back once a week for a check-up, you should be fine."

"Once a week? For how long?" I groaned. I wanted to go back to my apartment. I was only meaning to visit my mother for the week. That week was almost up.

"Oh, let's plan on a month," the doctor explained as he wrote things down in my chart. "As long as you're healing well it may not have to be that long." It didn't look like I would be going back to Seattle any time soon. I sighed.

After going over a few more details the doctor left the room. Meanwhile the nurse came back in to inject pain medicine into my IV. Mom came over and took my hand. She must have noticed my disappointment. "Is there anything else you need? Are you hungry? Can I get you some more water?" she asked. Immediately I felt the medication working and I became very tired. I was a lightweight when it came to medication.

"No thank you mom. I'm just going to rest my eyes…" I trailed off and fell asleep again.

*****************

I'm not sure if it was the pain medication or my wild imagination, but I had a bizarre dream. I wouldn't call it a nightmare since I never felt afraid. I was on the side of the road stumbling around after the accident. My car was mangled and by some means I got out of the mess. I could feel the cool moist air around me. The evening light made everything look muted. It seemed so real, like I was actually there. Suddenly, right in front of me, appeared a very large wolf with large dark eyes. Its head was crouched low, and its eyes were looking right at me. Its lips were stretched across its teeth and a low snarl started to rumble from its chest. I tilted my head to the side, gave the wolf a small smile, and stretched out my hand as an offer of peace. Unexpectedly, the wolf pounced towards me and I jolted out of my sleep. I was alone in my room. I could hear the beeping from my heart monitor gradually slow down as I gained my composure.

The images of the wolf reminded me of my internship. "Oh crap!" I said to myself. According to the little calendar on the room's wall, it was Wednesday. I needed to give the Conservation Society my decision by Friday. Since they needed me next week, there was no way I would be able to sign up in my condition. I was disappointed. Spending my summer with wolves would have been dreamy.

I noticed a fresh Styrofoam cup of water sitting on my bedside table. Half of the paper straw wrapper was left on. I flexed my body to sit up and reach for it, but I was halted by the pain in my muscles. The accident had thrown my body around and left me really sore. I stretched my arm towards the cup trying not to move my body too much. It was just out of reach of my fingers but then the cup moved towards me just a little. I stopped reaching to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. _But it must have moved,_ I thought. I could hear the ice in the cup sloshing around. _That was strange_. _Maybe the table rolled_.

I stretched out my arm again and this time the cup smacked into my palm. _Ok, what the crap?!_ I was NOT imagining that. First large wolves and now this! My head must have been rattled around a little too much. I took the lid off from the cup and checked inside. It was just water and ice. I removed the paper straw wrapper and took a sip. Yep, confirmed, just water. It was so cold and refreshing that I sucked out all the water and developed a small brain freeze.

As I held the base of my palm to my forehead, I heard a small knock at the door. My cousin Embry peeked in. I instantly perked up hoping his friend was following Embry into the room, but it was just Embry. He was a lot larger than the last time I saw him. He had to duck through the door way.

"Hey Wolf-Fish, you're awake!" he teased with a huge grin on his face. Wolf-Fish was his stupid nickname for me he made up when we were little. It was a little play on my name. He plopped himself down on the chair next to my bed. He was almost too big for the chair.

"Hey Embry, what are you doing here?" I was glad to see him, but that wasn't the question I wanted to ask. I didn't want to seem too eager and ask about his friend right away.

"Didn't Aunt Anna tell you? Me and my friends were the ones that found you along side the road. _We _just wanted to hang out to see how you were doing." Embry stressed the "we". "We used your cell phone to call an ambulance."

"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. Wait, my cell phone? I'm pretty sure the battery was dead." At least I thought the battery was dead. That could have been a detail that was jumbled from the crash.

"Oh, well…well, m-maybe it was someone else's phone," he stumbled on his words.

"Who all was out in the hall with you?" I casually asked while pretending to smooth my blankets. I thought I saw him roll his eyes. "I noticed one guy in particular gawking in at me." I tried to make it sound like I was annoyed, but I don't think I pulled it off.

"Oh, it's just some of the pa…uh, guys from the rez. I'm _sure_ you'll meet them soon," he said with a huge grin on his face. "How much longer do you have to stay in this place?" It sounded like he was trying to change the subject.

"I think I get out tomorrow and then I'm staying with my Mom for awhile." This time I rolled my eyes. He noticed my annoyance.

"Hey, it won't be so bad. I have a feeling you're going to have a good time here during recovery," he said with a smirk on his face. What was up with him?

Embry visited for awhile. We talked about what we've been up to since we last saw each other. He told me about the auto repair shop he and a few of his friends opened up near the reservation. I wondered if one of those friends was the guy from the hallway.

"Well, I gotta get goin'," Embry announced as he began to stand up. Once again I was amazed by his size. "Your mom was just running downstairs to get something to eat. She should be back in a minute. I'm starving myself! I'm glad to see you're getting better. You looked like a wreck the other day." He flinched as he remembered the scene.

"Yeah, thanks again for that. And thanks for coming to see me," I mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, no problem! I'll see you soon," Embry shrugged with another smirk on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to anyone who is reading this. If you are, please review!! I'm eager to hear what you think. We're going to meet Seth very soon! (But not in this chapter...sorry). Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This is Stephenie's world...I'm just borrowing her ideas. **

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Chapter 3

The rest of my hospital stay was pretty uneventful. I finally got the IV taken out of my wrist since I was eating solid foods. I still felt a little worn out and sore, but I was given pain killers in pill form. I watched TV and slept a lot. Other than my mom and Aunt Elizabeth, I didn't have any other visitors. I kept thinking about Embry's friend. I wondered why he hadn't come in the room to introduce himself or visit. The thought of him being there every day, at least until the day I woke up, was very intriguing. Why would he do that? That was only something a best friend or boyfriend would do. Maybe I incorrectly heard my Mom tell me he was there every day.

Suddenly I remembered I had a boyfriend. Where was Matt? I can't believe I hadn't seen him or talked to him the whole time I had been in the hospital. My mom never once mentioned that he called to check on me. As my mom was gathering up my personal items I decided to ask.

"Hey, Mom, have you heard from Matt at all?" I asked. She had a troubled look on her face and slowly turned to look at me.

"Actually, he was here the night you were brought in, but he left early Monday morning. The law firm expected him by eight a.m. I'm surprised you haven't asked about him before now," she seemed angry by Matt's decision to leave.

My draw dropped. I was hurt and angry by Matt's absence and lack of concern. "Has he called at all? Was it while I was sleeping?" My thoughts of the mystery man had apparently blocked out all thoughts of Matt. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard from him.

"He did call the day you woke up, but it was while you were sleeping. He seemed relieved that you were conscious. He said he would try to call you when he had a _free_ moment," mom said as she was tossing things in the take-home bag. My eyes started welling up with tears, but she didn't notice. "Honestly, Tala, I don't see what you see in him. You two always seem to be arguing about one thing or another and then he doesn't even stay with you while you're in the hospital?! For crying out loud, Matt's your boyfriend! There are perfect strangers that linger out in the hall that seem to care more about you than that guy does." A sob escaped my lips and interrupted her rant. She quickly turned towards me and her expression changed to remorse.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," she pleaded. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have said those things about Matt." And then her expression changed and she bluntly said, "I just don't like him." Then I giggled. I had a feeling she didn't like Matt. It was just funny to finally hear her say it.

"It's ok Mom. I know you don't like him. Maybe I need to re-think the idea of us being together. He certainly hasn't scored any points for me with this situation," I sighed while wiping away my tears. "I'll try calling him when I get settled in at your place. Maybe he has some good excuse." I was trying to be hopeful.

After getting final instructions and prescriptions from the doctor, the nurse rolled me out to the front of the hospital where my mom was waiting for me in her car.

**************

The first two days home—well, at my mom's house—were pretty uneventful. I still slept a lot so that made the time go by quickly. My mom took those days off from work to take care of me and make sure I was settled in. I finally had to let her know that I _wanted_ to get up and take care of myself. It made me feel better and it helped to loosen up my muscles. I did appreciate everything she was doing. She knew when I had pushed myself too far and then she would take over.

Finally, Mom had to go back to work. She seemed worried about me and was reluctant to leave. I assured her I would be fine. She reminded me that she placed Sue Clearwater's phone number on the fridge if I needed anything immediate.

"Sue mentioned that she could send Leah over if you wanted some company," she hollered from the kitchen. _Send Leah over? How about sending her son over?_ I thought to myself. What's wrong with me? I only had a short look at this guy and I couldn't keep my mind off him. With that thought I reminded myself that I was going to try to call Matt today.

After my mom was gone I grabbed the phone and dialed Matt's cell number. It was still early enough in the morning that he shouldn't have been to work yet. His voice mail immediately kicked on. I'd heard the message several times before, but after hearing his voice this time around I could tell that any feelings I had had for him were gone. It was a really odd feeling. It was like calling a stranger. My thoughts were cut short by the beep of the voice mail.

"Uh, Hi Matt…it's me, Tala," I stammered out a message, not quite prepared with what I wanted to say. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm at my mother's house now and it sounds like I'll have to stay here for awhile." I was silent for a few seconds. Feeling relieved that he wasn't on the other end of the line to answer I asked, "Why didn't you come see me again in the hospital? Why haven't you called?" There was a small part of me that was hurt by his lack of interest. I could feel the tears start to flood my eyes and knew I wouldn't be able to talk clearly soon. "Ok, well, I'll be at my mom's if you want to call." I gave him the number and hung up. I didn't give him any sort of closing. No "I love you," "see ya," "bye-bye"…nothing. I just hung up.

I could feel all the different emotions rush through me. First I was offended and hurt. Then I was sad because I believed my relationship with Matt was over. And then I was angry that he showed a lack of interest in my well being. I was staring at the remote control on the coffee table in front of me, just out of my reach. I was focusing all my anger onto it wishing I had it in my hands so I could throw it. Unexpectedly, the remote launched itself across the room and struck the wall next to my senior picture making the picture crash to the floor shattering the glass.

I jumped up off the couch and backed up towards the kitchen. My jaw had dropped in amazement. I looked around to see what could have possibly caused that to happen, but I was pretty sure that I had done it. I slowly walked across the floor towards the picture and remote control. I was a little on edge. I half-expected the remote to start flying around the room. With that thought I stopped right in front of it. I crouched down and held out my hand just out of reach. I concentrated on the remote trying to will it towards me. And just as fast as I the thought entered my mind, the remote smacked into my hands.

Before I could register what had happened, there was a knock at the door. I quickly picked up the mess and put it on the table. I peeked out of the window to see who it was, but didn't recognize the girl standing there. I unlocked the door and opened it slowly.

"Tala?" the girl asked. I nodded. "I'm Leah. I heard you were a coffee drinker so I brought you the finest coffee on the rez!" she exclaimed with a huge smile. She held up two paper cups of coffee, one in each hand.

"Oh, my gosh, _thank you_! Please, come in." I took a cup from her and stepped aside to allow her in. Leah was beautiful. Her complexion was flawless and she had shiny black hair that was cropped just below her jaw line. Her eyes were large and dark, similar to my mystery man's from the hospital hall. He had to be her brother. I still didn't know _his _name.

Leah followed me into the living room and I gestured for her to take a seat. She noticed my make-shift bed on the couch, and plopped herself on the chair next to it, kicking her feet on the ottoman.

"My mom and the boys filled me in on your accident," she casually made a gesture towards my fuzz covered stitches on my head. "You look a lot better than I expected from the description I received," she smiled warmly. "I thought I would come over for a visit to see if you needed anything. To see if you wanted company."

I took a sip of my coffee. "Oh, wow. Thank you so much!" I was truly enjoying the coffee. "My mom's not a coffee drinker and I've been having withdrawals." Leah laughed at my excitement. "And yes, a little company is nice. My mom doesn't have cable either and I can't watch another minute of Guiding Light," I scoffed.

"Oh man, I know what you mean. The next time I come over I'll bring some books if you'd like. I don't read that romantic crap though. I'm more of a mystery or paranormal kind of girl," she explained.

"Perfect! That would be great. I'm supposed to be here for awhile." I noticed her smirk at that comment.

We sat and talked for about an hour. We exchanged some information about ourselves and she filled me in on the town gossip. I liked Leah a lot. She was easy to talk to. From her exterior she seemed very elegant and lady-like. But her actions and words sounded like she hung out with only men. She was sassy! I enjoyed her company and it seemed she enjoyed mine.

After awhile I started to get drowsy and I think Leah noticed. "Well, it's been fun, but it looks like you want to rest, so I'll just take off. I need to report back." She stood up to walk out.

"Report back?" I questioned and lazily stood up to walk her to the door.

Leah's voice stumbled a little. "Uh, yeah…to my mom…you know how it goes. I'm a grown woman, but she still needs to keep tabs on me!" Leah rolled her eyes. Then she pulled me into hug and patted my back. She was so warm. "I like you!" she exclaimed. She was a lot stronger than she looked. I felt my back pop a little with her squeeze. "Oh, sorry about that," she mumbled as she let go.

"Uh, that's…okay. Thanks for coming by. Visit anytime." I was sincere, but a little confused by the hug. I wasn't used to that, but it didn't seem awkward in any way. It seemed like I've known her for years. It was like she was family.

"Oh, by the way, next weekend," she turned around at the doorway, "a group of us are going to the beach for a bonfire if you would like to join us."

"Sure, that sounds great. Just call me and I'll let you know if I'm up for it." Finally my curiosity got the best of me. Leah had hardly mentioned her brother, let alone his name. "Who all will be there," I asked casually.

Leah grinned a little. It was as though she knew what I was after. "Oh, just some friends of mine and some friends of my brother…my brother, Seth."

And there it was, finally…his name. "Seth." I tried it out loud. I liked how it sounded and smiled a little.

"Oh brother," Leah mumbled quietly.

"What's that?" I asked shyly. I could feel my cheeks warm up.

"Yep, yep…that's my brother, Seth. Ok, well, I gotta go. I'll call you about the bonfire. See ya!" She called as she raced out the door.

I closed the door and leaned on it. "Seth." I said it out loud again. I liked the way saying his name made me feel. I went over to the couch to lie back down. I decided I was going to get as much rest as possible before the next weekend. I was going to that bonfire!


	4. Chapter 4

**I can't believe I have THREE followers! **

**A big Hello to AudreyGrace (the first to sign up), Girl-In-Denim (my first and only review!) & SethsWolfGirl. Welcome to Chapter 4!! I hope I don't disappoint. Tell me what you think. **

**Oh yeah...we meet Seth in this Chapter. I fell in love with him when I created my version of him, so I hope you like him too.**

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**Chapter 4**

The next week seemed to drag way too slowly. It must have been because I was eager to go to the bonfire. I wanted to hang out with other people my age and I wanted to finally meet Seth. It seemed like I was thinking of him almost every minute of the day. I'm not sure why I was. I wanted to understand my feelings. I felt an overwhelming urge to meet this man that I knew little about. I had only a brief peek of his gorgeous eyes, but I remembered every detail of his face. I was sure I would recognize him the instant I saw him.

I went to the doctor's office for my first follow up appointment after leaving the hospital. The doctor cleared me for the bonfire as long as I didn't do any water activities and didn't exert too much energy. He said my injury looked better than expected. Now if my hair would hurry up and grow! I looked like a punk rocker with one side of my head shaved close to the scalp. I could still see the mangled scar, but eventually my hair would grow and cover most of it. I may have to invest in a hat.

Leah stopped by for a split second on her way to work to drop off some books and another cup of coffee…God bless her…and I let her know the doctor gave me the "okay" to go out. She said she would call me and let me know what time she would pick me up.

I also received a phone call from Matt. We had a quick conversation, since he was on his break at work. He apologized for not being able to visit me, blaming the bosses in the firm for not allowing him time off. I honestly don't think he tried hard enough to get away. I would have thought that if he explained his girlfriend was in a serious accident, they would have given him at least one full day off. But, Matt was the type of guy who did things for the advancement of himself. He wasn't afraid of stepping on toes or ignoring others on his way up the ladder. We were cordial on the phone with each other, but there didn't seem to be a lot of emotion in our conversation. Before we said our good-byes, he briefly mentioned he would call again soon.

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"Mom! Do you have a stocking hat?" I hollered to her from the coat closet. Luckily it was suppose to be chilly enough where I wouldn't look silly wearing a hat to cover my crazy hair-do. I hadn't planned on staying at my mother's this long and I was lacking a lot of necessities.

My mom came over to help me rummage through the closet. "Here," she handed me a hat, "this is the one I use in the winter when I'm chopping wood." She handed me a plaid, lumber-jack-looking hat with Sherpa lining that had ear flaps.

"Mom. No." I chuckled. "Was that Dad's? Do you have something more girly or at least less obnoxious?" Mom giggled too.

"How about this one, Tala?" She held up a pale pink knitted hat with little specks of shiny, glitter-gold thread sewn in. It had braided yarn coming off the ear flaps and one braid sticking out the top.

"Well, at least it's pink and it will cover up my punk rock 'do." I took it from her hands, tried it on, and looked in the mirror. It looked ok with my long black hair coming out the bottom of one side. I've never been self-conscious. I inherited my mom's roundness, but by father's height. That combination left me with more womanly curves than most of my friends had, but I never cared for the skinny look anyway. I had light russet skin that most of my friends from school went to a tanning booth for. I never thought of myself as stunning or gorgeous, but I didn't think I was plain or ugly either. But with the lack of hair and the scar on my head, I suddenly didn't feel the least bit pretty. I wouldn't be able to wear a stocking hat for too much longer and my hair would eventually grow out. I certainly didn't want to finally meet Seth with this goofy hat on, but I had no choice.

It seemed as though my mom could read my thoughts, "Tala, no one is going to judge you because of your scar or what you choose to wear," she assured. I knew that, but I still felt anxious.

"Thanks Mom," I heard a car horn honk and gave her a quick hug. "I won't be late and I promise if I get too tired, I'll have Leah bring me home."

I gathered my bag and hurried out to Leah's car. When I got in I noticed she didn't seem to be as cold as I was. She was only wearing jeans, a strappy tank top, and flip flops.

"Chilly?" she asked eyeing my pink hat.

"Aren't you? You barely have anything on!" Just looking at her gave me goose bumps.

"I'm used to this weather. I run hot. My warm clothes are in the trunk," she smiled.

Once we reached the beach I flipped the visor down for the third or fourth time and checked myself in the mirror.

"Seriously," Leah groaned, "you look great. Besides, no one will even notice. Most the guys have girlfriends. They all will be in their own love-bubble." Leah dragged out the word "love."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Just about everyone has a significant other," she smiled, rolling her eyes. "It's kind of sickly really. You get used to it after awhile."

"Most have girlfriends?" I asked feeling a little anxious.

Leah gave me a smirk. "Well, not me…I prefer men," she teased with a huge grin on her face.

It wasn't quite dark yet and the setting sun gave the sand on the beach a peculiar glow. There were people scattered around the beach. There were a few people working on the bonfire. Leah led me towards a couple who were carrying food towards the bonfire. He was a very large man and she was very petite. What did they feed these Quileute boys to make them so enormous?

"Sam, Emily, this is Tala," Leah introduced us. "Tala, this is Sam and this is my cousin Emily." As soon as Emily turned, I noticed large scars that dragged the left side of her face down into a frown. The other half of her face was so delicate and beautiful. I tried not to stare as I grabbed her hand to shake it. Suddenly my head wound was insignificant.

"We have been eager to meet you. We're so glad you could make it," Emily smiled warmly.

"You have been?" I asked confused.

"Of course! You look a lot better than you did after your accident," Sam said. He must've been one of the guys on the accident scene.

"Do you mind grabbing that muffin tin and taking it to the bonfire, sweetie?" Emily asked me in a motherly kind of way.

"Sure." I instantly felt comfortable with these people. I grabbed the tin of muffins and a casserole dish.

We all started walking towards the large food table sitting near the bonfire. Leah was filling Emily in on all the information she had learned about me when suddenly I felt a pleasant, warm tingling sensation in my chest. Something in my body willed me to turn towards a large figure walking up from the water. The light was behind him so I couldn't make out his features. Although I was clumsily walking through the sand, he was very graceful and moved quietly towards me.

"And there she goes…we lost her." I heard Leah's voice say sarcastically behind me, but I didn't pay any attention to her.

"Did you think we could keep them from each other too much longer?" Emily asked with a giggle. I wasn't sure what she meant, but at that time, I didn't care.

The closer he got to me the more I could make out facial features. His eyes were large and dark. He was definitely the man from the hallway. I tried hard to contain my excitement but I could feel a large grin spread across my face. I felt ridiculous, but the grin wouldn't go away. As his eyes met mine he mimicked my grin with his own.

"Hi," I exhaled the breath I didn't realize I was holding. I felt a little dizzy.

"Hi, Tala?" his voice was low and smooth. I nodded slowly, still in a daze. My body reacted in a way that made me feel slightly embarrassed when he said my name. "I'm Seth. Leah's brother."

"Yeah, I know," I giggled. I had turned into a 12 year-old version of myself. What was wrong with me? Why did he make me feel so giddy? I couldn't comprehend these feelings. I didn't even know this man. I didn't say anything else because I was afraid of what would come out of my mouth. I just kept staring at him. I felt this rush of contentment and relief when I was near him.

After a couple of seconds, Seth spoke. "Are you going to eat all that, or are you sharing?" His eyes darted down to the containers of food in my hand. He had a teasing grin on his face and his left eyebrow rose with his question.

I instantly started to melt from his look and was suddenly aware of the containers in my arms. They felt very heavy and started to slip from my grip. I fumbled to keep them from dropping, but Seth's hands gently grabbed my arms and helped save the food. His touch made me gasp. Not only was he extremely warm, but it seemed as though there was an electric current that traveled from him to me. The feeling seemed familiar and I quickly remembered my visitor in the hospital. I looked up at him in amazement.

"Did you feel that?" I blurted out. I hoped he did or I would have been humiliated.

Seth nodded quickly with a small smile on his face. "Here, let me take this." He grabbed the food from my hands. "Let's get this over to the table." He nodded his head in the direction of the table and I followed.

Since I didn't have Seth's eyes to distract me, I scanned the rest of him. Just as I remembered, he was very tall. His hair was cropped, but pulled back into a short pony-tail. The tank top he was wearing showed off his long, toned arms and broad shoulders. His cut off shorts revealed his muscular legs. How hadn't I noticed his physique until just then? Even though he was barefoot he moved across the sand without effort.

At some point we had stopped in front of the table, but I continued to ogle Seth, unaware of other people around us.

"Hey Wolf-Fish!" came a familiar voice waking me from my trance. I looked up to see a group of gigantic men looking at me. Each one of them had a knowing look in their eyes. I had been caught checking out Seth and instantly felt my face heat up from the embarrassment.

"Guys, this is Tala," Seth introduced me to the group. "This is Quil, Jared, and Paul. Of course you know Embry."

"Hi, nice to meet you all," I smiled at each one of them with my cheeks still burning.

"What's up with the hat?" Embry asked. It felt like he was trying to keep my embarrassment at peak level.

"Like most people, I dress for the weather," I said eyeing him up and down. All four guys were dressed similar to Seth. "You know, it's barely fifty degrees out here!"

"Quileute boys are hot-blooded," Seth said trying to keep a straight face. All five giants laughed in unison. I felt like I was missing out on an inside joke.

Embry was asking me a few questions about my injuries, but it was hard for me to concentrate and answer his questions. I couldn't get my mind off of Seth and felt myself gravitate towards him. The closer I got to him the more comfortable I was. My mind wandered back to the heat and electricity between us and decided I needed to talk to him about it. I needed to understand my overwhelming feelings. I ran the risk of scaring this wonderful man away, but I needed to know if he was feeling the same thing. Was I possibly experiencing "love at first sight?" That was ridiculous. I would have never thought that was likely, but I haven't ever felt this way with Matt or anyone else. Yep, there was a good chance I was going to send Seth screaming for the hills.

"Are you getting cold or something?" Embry asked me with a grin on his face as he shoved a muffin in his face. He and the other guys looked as though they noticed my positioning, so close to Seth.

I realized I was practically leaning on Seth and I suddenly jumped a foot away from him. "Oh…no. Sorry," I looked up at Seth and apologized. I caught him glaring at the others, but his face softened when he met my eyes. The guys laughed.

"Eh, that's ok Tala; Seth can't help it if he's soooo irresistible!" Jared said while making kissy-faces at Seth.

"Shut _up_!" Seth hissed between his teeth while whipping a muffin at Jared's head. Jared moved his head just in time with lightening-quick reflexes.

"Hey, dude, that's a perfectly good muffin you're throwing around!" Jared hollered as he went running for the muffin.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Seth asked me. He held out his hand as if he wanted to save me from the harassment. I wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but I knew I would follow him anywhere.

"Yes," I said as I grabbed his hand. The energy flowed between us again.


	5. Chapter 5

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**Chapter 5**

Seth guided me through the sand towards a huge, sun-bleached tree trunk that had fallen over and settled in the sand. He helped me perch onto one of the limbs, but didn't let go of my hand.

"Sorry about the guys back there. They like to pick on me since I'm younger than them." Seth admitted sheepishly.

"That's ok. They didn't bother me. I can take it," I smiled. "How old are you?"

"I'm 20." He seemed nervous. He was two years younger than me, but I would have guessed he was much older.

"Really!?" Seth must've gotten the wrong idea from my reaction because he quickly looked down to the sand. "That's not much younger than me. I just turned 22," I assured him. He looked back into my eyes and looked relieved. "You just look so much older!"

"Yeah, I get told that a lot…" he trailed off as he eyed my stocking hat. "How's your head?" His free hand reached up to touch my head, hesitating for my permission. "Can I see it?" I nodded. I didn't feel embarrassed at all. All my insecurities were gone. I allowed him to take off my hat. He was so gentle I wouldn't have noticed the hat was off if I hadn't felt the breeze on the semi-bare skin around my scar. "It looks good…better than the last time I saw you with your head all bandaged…" he stopped himself while his finger was circling his head, wrapping an imaginary bandage. _He saw me with bandages?_ I thought and smiled at him.

"Seth, can I ask you a question?" I asked, still smiling, still holding his hand. He looked nervous, as if he knew what I was going to ask. I squeezed his hand, offering reassurance. His face softened. "Did you visit me in the hospital when I was unconscious?" I knew it was him out in the hallway, although I needed verification that it was him in my room while I was semi-unconscious.

Seth nodded his head quickly, looking down at the ground as if he was embarrassed.

"Why?" I questioned, hoping for an answer that would explain everything.

"I was worried about you," he said shyly still looking at the ground. His gaze turned to our hands. "So, you _do_ feel this?" He looked into my eyes and was gesturing his hand back and forth between us, "this, uh, _connection_?"

I stared at him. This was exactly what I needed to talk to him about. He must have felt the same way if _he_ was asking _me_. I sat there for a few seconds. I wasn't sure how to answer. I didn't think I could scare him away since he was the person to bring it up first. His face seemed to look more anxious the longer it took me to answer.

"Yes!" I blurted out a little livelier than I wanted to. It took all my strength not to jump on his lap and wrap my arms around him.

My affirmation was all he needed to gently pull me towards him as _he_ gave _me_ a strong, warm bear hug. He seemed very familiar and I felt comfortable and secure. All my insecurities melted away. His warmth blocked out the breeze from the ocean. He smelled like a pleasant combination of musk, forest and something else I couldn't pinpoint.

"This isn't weird?" He asked pulling away from me a little to look into my eyes.

"No," I whispered and nuzzled back into his chest. I was falling way to fast for him and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or a bad idea. I didn't believe lust had any part of it because it was our brief eye contact that jump-started these feelings. Although at the time, I hadn't seen the rest of his beautiful form. It was definitely an added bonus. I was happy just being near him. It was like I felt whole. It was so _not_ weird being so close to this stranger…which was weird.

"I didn't think this would every happen for me," he mumbled so low I could barely hear him. Before I could ask him to elaborate, he said, "They're calling us for dinner." I hadn't heard a thing. I was in my own little…uh-oh…"love-bubble." Is this what Leah was referring to?

"I am a little hungry," I admitted. "I didn't each much today."

"Well you're in for a treat." He grabbed my hand and led me back to the beach. "Emily is the best cook! We better hurry or there won't be anything left. Lucky for you Emily made a rule that if she makes dinner for us, it's ladies first…but don't count on seconds," Seth explained with an amused look on his face.

As soon as we got closer to the group I could see everyone was preparing for the feast. All the "ladies" were at the table with plates in hand. I watched while Quil tried to sneak up and grab a drumstick. The little girl by his side smacked his hand. He pulled his hand away shaking it and laughing at her.

"You better find your place in line before you lose out," Seth said. I unwillingly let go of his hand and went to take my place next to Leah. She saw me coming and handed me a plate. She then offered me the spot in front of her in line.

"Hey! Why does Leah get to go first?" Embry yelled out.

"I'm still a lady!" Leah hollered. "Besides, I don't eat nearly as much as you guys do and I don't want to break another finger fending one of you off!" She looked at me and winked. "They can get pretty vicious." I was amused and highly confused at the same time. Someone broke her finger over food? And why was she in on that rumble? She must have noticed my bewildered look because she added, "You'll see what I mean."

After I made myself a plate, I grabbed a seat next to Emily and left a space open for Leah. Leah sat down next to me. I did notice she had a man-sized plate of food. The young girl that was with Quil was the last in line. I could see she was taking her time, taunting the men who were waiting for her to finish with a grin on her face. I was expecting her to stick her tongue out at them.

"Little girl, if you don't hurry it up, I'm going to dunk you in the ocean," Quil hollered with a smile on his face. This made her giggle.

"Claire…quit teasing," Emily said in a motherly tone.

"Ok, ok!" Claire huffed while grabbing a napkin.

As soon as she walked away, the feeding frenzy began. Every man waiting patiently for the females to get their fill sprinted for the buffet. Arms were flailing around trying to grab as much as they could, some not even bothering to grab a plate first.

Leah noticed my shocked expression. "Crazy pack of animals. You get used to it," she laughed.

As I looked around I noticed that most of the women weren't paying attention at all as if they were used to this behavior. Claire seemed to be the only person, besides the men, that was amused. She continued to watch and giggle.

"They are all perfect gentleman…once they get their food." Emily explained. "I don't let them act like this in my house." Emily was right. As soon as the buffet table was cleared of food and they were sitting down, the frenzy stopped. The men were laughing and enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was very homey. It felt like they were a tight-knit family. I caught myself smiling as I looked around at everyone. I looked over at Seth and he was looking at me too. He was chewing food with a huge closed-mouth grin on his face. He gave me a little wave with his fork still in his hand.

By the time dinner had ended the bon fire was blazing tall and the sky was completely dark. Everyone grabbed chairs and pieces of drift wood and circled the fire. Seth grabbed a huge piece of drift wood and walked over to me.

"May I sit next to you?" Seth asked while placing the wood in the sand.

"Of course," I nodded and sat down on the wooden seat Seth offered. He sat down next to me. Apparently, it wasn't close enough for me because I involuntarily slid closer to him. Once I realized this, I looked up in embarrassment and scooted back away from him. Seth just smiled and casually put his arm around me, gently pulling me closer, closing the gap between us. I felt my body relax and I melt under his arm. His blazing body blocked the cool breeze from the ocean. I shuttered and felt the goose bumps poke up from my skin.

"Are you cold?" Seth asked. "I can get you a blanket."

"No, I'm fine. I don't need a blanket with you next to me." I touched his arm, "You're burning up! Are you feeling ok?" I asked with concern. I felt myself panic a little. I didn't want anything to be wrong with him.

"Yep. Healthy as a horse." He reassured me. "You know, I'm bigger than you, probably stood too close to the fire." He was trying to brush off my concern, but I still felt a little worried.

The more I was around Seth, the more questions I had for him. I decided not to worry about them right then and just enjoy the moment. I could feel my eyes getting droopy and cursed my not-quite-healthy-head for betraying me. I needed more time with Seth tonight. I fought with my eye-lids and looked around the fire. As Leah mentioned, everyone seemed to have a significant other. We weren't the only pair snuggling by the warm fire. I recalled Leah's earlier description, "_They all will be in their own love-bubble._" That's exactly how it looked to me. I studied each couple. There were a few who seemed to have silent conversations while gazing into each other's eyes. There was one couple, Jared and his…girlfriend…wife…I wasn't sure, making out on the opposite side of the circle. I gave Seth an incredulous look and then glanced in their direction.

"That's Jared and Kim," Seth rolled his eyes. "They're newlyweds." I glanced over at little Claire. He noticed. "Claire's oblivious. They don't go too far, but if they did Quil would have them both kicked out of the area.

"Is Claire Quil's sister?" He seemed so connected to her. I watched as they played rock-paper-scissors over and over again.

"No, they aren't related. You could say Quil's her nanny for the time being?" he shrugged his shoulder. I gave him a confused look. He just gave me a smile and squeezed me closer to him.

"Tala, do you want a s'more?" Leah asked. I jumped a little. I didn't realize she was right next to me. I looked at her and she was holding a stick covered in charred marshmallows.

"Yes, please." I grabbed a couple graham crackers to scrape a marshmallow off the stick. I was hoping a little sugar would perk me up.

As I ate my s'more, I scanned the crowd again. Leah and Embry seemed to be the only people without a significant other. They did seem close in the way they interacted, but they didn't seem to have the same connection as everyone else. They were joking around, playfully pushing each other. I even saw Embry try to feed a s'more to Leah. She batted his hand away and gave him a snotty look, but when she thought no one was looking, she smiled a little. I was never nosey enough to ask either of them if they were dating anyone. I wondered if they were seeing each other. If they were, I had a feeling they would be in their own love-bubble.

"Hey, you look so tired," Seth interrupted my spying.

"Oh, no, I'm ok," I lied quite pathetically. Seth just smiled.

"Can I see you again tomorrow? Maybe come over to your mom's for a visit…bring some lunch? There are a few things I want to talk to you about." He seemed a little nervous.

"Of course, lunch sounds great," I tried not to sound over enthusiastic. "I would like to talk to you, too," I admitted reluctantly. I was anxious to leave him.

"Leah," Seth called to his sister, "Can you take Tala home? She's getting tired."

"Sure thing," Leah said, hopping up from her seat stuffing one last marshmallow sandwich in her mouth.

"No really, I'm fine," I said as I fought off a yawn, which didn't help my argument.

"Yeah, yeah, come on," Seth said pulling me up. "I'll walk you two to the car." Seth grabbed my hand and I stumbled a little if the sand.

"Do you need Seth to carry you? I'm sure he would be happy to," Leah teased.

"No," I giggled. "I'm fine." I turned to thank Emily for the meal and say my good-byes to the group, but suddenly felt like I would be interrupting everyone.

"Don't even bother," I heard Quil say to me as he gathered his stuff to leave. "No one will even notice you're leaving." He and Embry laughed. "Come on kiddo," Quil said to Claire. "We've got to get you home too or your mom's going to have my head!" Claire groaned a little, but looked dead on her feet. Quil picked her up and easily flung her over his shoulder. She squealed with delight and hollered a "good-bye" to Emily. Emily looked up and blew a kiss in her direction and looked at me giving me a wink.

The five of us walked to the cars. When we got to Leah's car I was still holding Seth's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry I wasn't very talkative tonight. I was just trying to take everything in. Everyone was so nice. I felt really comfortable." I looked up to Seth and he was grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm glad to hear that…that you were comfortable," Seth said while closing the distance between us. "We have a lot to talk about tomorrow." He looked at me with serious eyes. He leaned down towards me and I felt my heart accelerate. I could feel myself reach up towards him on my tip toes. I had a strong urge to kiss him. He hesitated when he noticed my movement and smiled. He quickly kissed his lips to my forehead. I melted beneath him. His blazing lips match the ones I remembered from the hospital. That kiss was all the confirmation I needed proving he was the one who visited me in my sleep. He was the one who whispered he was sorry. Suddenly I had more questions for him. They would have to wait until tomorrow.

"Time to go Sleeping Beauty," Leah called from inside the car. "You look like you're going to stumble over from exhaustion."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Seth said while letting go of my hand. I fought the urge to take his hand back. He shut the door for me. I didn't say a word the whole time, but I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

As we drove away I could immediately feel the anxiety of being separated from him. "What's wrong with me?" I mumbled quietly to myself.

"Did you have a good time hanging out with Seth?" Leah asked. I could feel my cheeks flush.

"I'm sorry I ditched you like that," I suddenly remembered that Leah was the one who had invited me to the beach. "I'm not normally like that. I don't know what came over me."

"Do you like him?" She asked and I realized I didn't answer her question.

"Yeah, he's…" _beautiful...dreamy...irresistible_, I thought but I wasn't going to tell his sister that, "something. I'm just so confused."

"Confused because the first time you laid eyes on him it was like he was the only person on earth and you felt a magnetic pull to be near him?" she asked.

I nodded, surprised by her remark. It was like she was reading my thoughts.

"Confused because you felt comfortable and protected in his presence, not at all creeped-out when he had his arms around you?" she added.

I nodded.

"Confused because you're falling too fast for him and he's a stranger," she continued. I stared at her in awe. "You were in your own love-bubble, weren't you?" she finished with a grin.

"How do you know all that?! Was I _that_ obvious?" I moaned covering my face with my stocking cap.

"Well yeah, everyone noticed, but it's not like it hasn't happened to them before, so don't be embarrassed," Leah shrugged it off insinuating this is a common occurrence. I'm not sure she was aware of how abnormal it all is.

"Has it happened to you?" I asked her in disbelief.

"Oh, nooo! Not me. But I see it all the time and I've heard the stories. I know their thoughts…" she drifted off. "But that's all you're getting out of me. I'll let my baby brother talk to you about it. He'd kill me if he knew I talked to you about his business."

"His business? He knows how I feel?! How does he know? Oh, my gosh, I'm so embarrassed." I slumped in my seat. "He must think I'm some crazy, stalker chick who holds hands and cuddles with any guy that says hello to her…"

"HA!" Leah's laugh cut off my rambling. "Don't worry so much about it. He doesn't think anything like that. Trust me." She gave me a supportive smile.

"Ok, whatever you say," I sighed.

When Leah's car stopped in my mom's driveway I opened the door and thanked Leah for inviting me to the party. I lazily made my way to the front porch and into the house.

Mom was sitting on the couch watching TV. She quickly got up so that I could take my place on the couch to sleep.

"Did you have a good time? How are you feeling?" she asked while arranging my pillows and blankets on the couch.

"It was really nice. Everyone was great," I yawned. "I'm just really tired." I got ready for bed and I was out once my head hit the pillow. I was hoping for a restful sleep. I was excited to see Seth on the next day since I had a lot of questions that I hoped he could answer.

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**a/n: I had fun writing that chapter. Especially the crazy dinner scene. I wanted to show how close-knit their pack/family was. More Seth to come! Please review! It's makes my day :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Ms. Meyer owns Twilight, not me. But I own Tala, Anna & Matt.**

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Chapter 6

I could feel the cool salty breeze against my face. I was walking through the sand feeling a familiar force that pulled me towards the wooded area near the beach. Familiar large, dark, smiling eyes stared at me from the darkness of the trees. Seth walked out slowly. I walked towards him. He seemed so much larger than usual. He suddenly glared beyond me, eyes changing. There was a deep snarl that rumbled from his chest. I couldn't look away to see what he was upset about. Seth started sprinting towards me. I stopped dead in my tracks, not sure what to do. I wasn't afraid of him, but my instincts were to get out of his way. Just as he approached me he hurdled himself over me.

I woke up out of my sleep with a gasp. I looked around the room remembering where I was. It was morning, I was still on the couch in my mother's house, and I could hear her in the shower. I couldn't believe it was just a dream. Everything felt so real. The uplifting feeling I had towards Seth, even though he didn't seem to be himself, still existed even after waking up. I didn't understand what the dream could mean, but they never did make sense.

I jumped off the couch, excited for Seth's visit. I gathered up the blankets and pillows and shoved them in the closet. While I waited my turn in the shower I made myself a bowl of cereal and sat on the couch watching the morning news. The weather was supposed to be gorgeous. I wondered if Seth and I could take our lunch to the beach.

My mom made her way out of the bathroom. She was fully dressed in a casual outfit. "Hey honey, you're up early today," she said with a surprised tone.

"What are you up to today?" I asked with the hope of having the house to myself.

"I'm helping out your Aunt Elizabeth at the gift shop," she said. "It's supposed to be a beautiful day and she's expecting a crowd at the beach."

"Maybe I'll see you there. I sort of have a date." I looked her way watching her reaction.

She looked displeased. "Is Matt coming over?"

"No, actually it's Seth. Seth Clearwater. You know, Sue's son." This time my mom looked more content and a little excited.

"Oh he is, is he? He's such a nice young man, Tala. I talked to him a few times in the hospital." She continued to smile. "His mom did such a good job raising both of those kids. There was a little trouble with them when they were teenagers, but they seemed to have grown out of that."

"Mom, he's just bringing lunch over and I thought we could take it to the beach since the weather is going to be nice." I tried to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal when I was actually so excited to see him I couldn't contain myself. I wasn't about to confess my feelings about a man, whom I had only met hours before, to my mother, even if she did approve of him.

"What are you going to do about Matt?" Mom asked me cautiously. The mention of Matt brought me out of my blissful thoughts.

"I don't know. I would rather not think about him or that whole situation." That was what I intended to do. After my mom left for the souvenir shop, I flitted around the house straightening up the place. I made sure I picked out the right outfit and made myself look presentable; even though I knew in my heart Seth wouldn't care a thing about appearances.

Seth wasn't specific on the time, but I made sure I was ready by 11:00 a.m., right before lunch. I wanted to be ready. Around 11:15 a.m. I heard heavy footsteps on the front porch and then there was a knock at the door. Although I was patiently waiting his arrival, my heart raced as I inched slowly towards the door. I didn't want to seem too eager. Once I opened the door, I could feel all the happiness and excitement drain from my face.

"Hi Tala," Matt said smiling from the front door. His smile faded when he saw the look on my face. "I thought I would surprise you. Were you expecting someone else?"

"Well, you certainly did," I replied, ignoring his question. I gave him a small smile and gestured him to come in. I quickly looked outside to see if anyone else was around. When I turned around Matt grabbed me and pulled me in for a kiss. It surprised me. It shouldn't have, we usually greeted each other this way. I felt no connection or passion in his kiss. His lips were cold and pasty in comparison to Seth's. Seth. The thought of him instinctively made me push away from Matt. It was at that point I knew my relationship with Matt was over.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked looking concerned. I decided I would get right into our impending fight.

"What are you doing here?" I asked a little too harshly. I could feel I was quickly losing my temper and he had barely said a word.

"I thought I would surprise you. See how you were feeling. Maybe spend my one day off with you." He was already getting into defense mode. Many of our arguments were the same. I could feel myself falling into the usual pattern. I didn't want it to end this way, but I our relationship needed to end.

I sighed. "That's very nice of you. Listen, we need to talk," I started the uncomfortable conversation. I sat down on the couch and curled my feet underneath me grabbing the couch pillow into my lap. "Why weren't you there at the hospital when I woke up? Why has it taken so long for you to come and visit me? You weren't there for me, Matt!" I had a slight whine in my voice.

"I told you, I had to work. I had to start my internship!" He shouted. "What was I suppose to do?"

I tried to calm down. I needed him to listen and his shouting and the stress was giving me a headache.

"What were you _supposed_ to do? I was in a bad car accident. My car was totaled and I was knocked out for a couple days. You didn't even call me in the hospital." I was trying to keep my voice calm, but his insensitivity was making me mad. I could feel my face warm up with rage and my eyes started to fill up with angry tears.

"I called you," he corrected me, his voice matching my tone. "I talked to your mom. She said you were doing fine."

"Fine!? But you didn't stay until I woke up. You didn't wait around to see if I was going to _be_ fine! You had more important things you needed to tend do." Matt was just staring at me. He seemed bewildered by my rant. It was as if my words weren't sinking in. "Everything is always more important than me," I clarified. "I've had a lot of time to think. I don't think we should be together anymore. It's not working for me," I said calmly.

"Oh, baby, no," he said calmly as he sat down next to me. He tried to grab my hand but I pulled it away. His blue eyes were trying to talk me into forgiveness. "We've had this fight before," he says. "One of us ticks off the other, we yell at each other, and we make up a couple days later. Do you want me to come back in a couple days when you've calmed down? Oh, wait, it would have to be next Sunday when I have the day off," he trailed off, obviously not understanding a word I had said.

"Get out!" I shouted as I pulled myself off the couch and away from him.

Suddenly, Seth came through the front door with a concerned look on his face. His eyes scanned the room and then found mine. "Is everything ok? I heard shouting." He asked me calmly.

I gave him a big smile. His presence took away all the stress from the fight with Matt. "Yes, I'm ok. I was just asking him to leave."

Startled by Seth's sudden interruption, Matt was up off the couch. He could tell from the look on my face that Seth's surprise was much more welcome than his. I saw Matt scrutinize the large man in front of him. It looked as though he was sizing Seth up. I got nervous. Although Matt was two-thirds Seth's size, I'd seen Matt fight. He was tough and had a short temper.

"Is this what your problem is?" Matt yelled at me. "You've been cheating on me with one of the natives?"

I looked at Seth; he was standing in the door way still holding the door knob. He looked as though he knew he was interrupting something that he shouldn't be involved in. I gave him an apologetic look.

As if my look confirmed Matt's suspicions, he glanced over at Seth. "You son of a bitch!" he hissed and took long, quick strides across the room towards him. Seth's demeanor didn't change. He didn't even seem to think to guard himself from the pounding Matt was about to dish out.

When Matt was within two feet of Seth, my anxiety level peaked. Seth didn't seem worried at all. "Matt! Stop!" I yelled focusing on Matt. I could feel the fury flow off me into my words. A sudden force knocked Matt off his feet sending him backwards a few yards.

My wide eyes looked at Matt on the floor. I looked over at Seth. Seth was still in the same position in the doorway. He hadn't moved. He hadn't touched Matt. Seth looked at the man on the floor and his face matched my disbelief. I knew instantly what had happened.

Matt was oblivious. In his rage he hadn't noticed that Seth had not moved or laid a hand on him. Matt scurried to his feet and lunged for Seth again. This time Seth stopped Matt's fist easily with one hand and gave it a little squeeze. Matt winced in pain.

"Tala asked you to leave," Seth said calmly. Matt's face looked stunned. His face twisted with pain and he knew he made a big mistake threatening the large man standing before him. Seth let go of Matt's fist.

"Fine," Matt huffed rubbing his fist. "It's over Tala!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," I snapped back. Matt stomped out the door. As soon as he was gone I slumped back down on the couch and held my head in my hands.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that." I could feel my eyes starting to well up with tears. I was embarrassed and mad and mortified that Matt attacked Seth for really no reason at all. "I'm sorry he attacked you."

"I didn't touch him." Seth's voice was so close it startled me and I gasped. I looked up to find him sitting right next to me. I hadn't heard him walk across the room or felt him sit down. "Sorry," he apologized softly. His face looked confused. He was staring into space as though he was trying to make sense of all that had happened. "I didn't touch him," he repeated.

"I know," I answered and broke down from the stress and confusion. "I don't know what's wrong with me," I sobbed. I felt his arms wrap around me. I instinctively crawled into his lap for comfort. He lightly rubbed my back and I instantly calmed down. I could feel my tears soaking his shirt.

"I'm sorry," I put my hand on his chest trying to wipe the dampness away. His pounding heart and his warmth gave me comfort.

"S'kay," he whispered. "Are _you_ ok?" he pulled away from me to look into my eyes. He looked concerned.

"Yeah, I just have a headache." Being in Seth's arms seemed to sooth my headache almost immediately. I hid my face in his chest again. I'm sure I looked like a mess.

"So, was that your boyfriend?" he asked quietly.

"He _was_ my boyfriend. I'm sorry I didn't mention him before." I pulled myself back to look at his face. He was smiling, but his eyes look sad. I wanted to make my feelings for Matt clear. "We weren't right for each other at all. It took me almost getting killed to see that." Seth flinched. Tears were escaping my eyes and I couldn't stop them. Seth must have misinterpreted my tears.

"Are you sure?" he asked cautiously looking down at the floor. "Do you want me to go get him so you two can…?"

"No," I gasped interrupting him. I put my hand on his face and made him look at me. "Why would you offer to do that?"

He looked into my eyes and gave me a warm smile. "I'd do anything for you. I want you to be happy." I instantly melted and the same feeling I had from when we first met came back full-force.

We stared at each other for what seemed like several minutes. I thought I could tell what he was thinking. All his actions up until now lead me to believe he felt the same way I did. His own sister confirmed it!

My hand was still on his face. I let it slide to the back of his head and wove my fingers into his silky strands. I could feel the current between us increase as his breathing deepened. I felt his heart start to race beneath my hand on his chest. I slowly leaned my face towards his waiting for any hesitation from him. I didn't want to seem too aggressive, but being so close to him, smelling his sweet breath on my face was too much for me to handle.

I gently pressed my lips to his. Luckily, he kissed back. The force between us was so strong. It made me feel as if he was the only thing I needed to survive. His arms gently wrapped around me pressing me closer to him. Our kisses started out soft and sweet, our lips barely pressing into each other. I slowly shifted in his lap for a better angle and slid my other arm around his neck. Doing this pushed my face harder into his unexpectedly. I heard Seth inhale excitedly and his kisses turned more passionate. I responded by deepening my kiss and pulling him down on the couch over top of me.

Seth abruptly pulled away from me. He stared at me while trying to catch his breath. I flushed with humiliation from my actions. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…"

He interrupted with a quick kiss. "Don't be sorry for that. It's just," he paused and seemed frustrated, "someone's here." He was looking down at me with a smile that took up his whole face.

I jumped up, "My mom! She must be coming home for lunch," I giggled getting off the couch. I ran my fingers through my hair trying to get myself back in order. I hurried over to the kitchen and left Seth on the couch. I looked back at him and he still had that massive smile.

Just then my mom walked in. I opened up the refrigerator pretending as though I was looking for something. I felt nervous and jumpy about almost being caught making out with a guy on my mom's couch. I was a 22-year-old adult. Why did I feel like a teenager?

"Well hey Seth, it's nice to see you," my mom greeted Seth as she walked through the door. "Tala told me you were coming over today."

"It's nice to see you again Mrs. Bass." Seth stood up and offered to help my mom with her arm load of groceries. She handed them over to him and followed him into the kitchen. She gave me a look I was familiar with. I knew she would drill me for more information later.

"I figured you two would be at the beach already," my mom said while putting her purchased items away. "It's a gorgeous day!"

Seth gave me a curious look. Oh right, I didn't get a chance to suggest the beach idea yet…with the ex-boyfriend incident and the kissing. "I thought we could take our lunch to the beach since it's a rare sunny day, if you don't mind."

"That sounds great. It's exactly what I was thinking," Seth responded cheerfully.

Then I remembered we didn't have any lunch. I didn't see Seth carry anything in with him. "Ok, well, let me whip up something really quick." I turned to go through the cupboards.

"I've taken care of it. I made us some lunch. It's in a cooler in my truck," he smiled, looking all proud of himself.

"You did?" I sighed looking into his eyes, melting from his smile.

"Yep, I took care of everything. I'm ready when you are," he stared right back. I could feel myself gravitate towards him again. It was so involuntary. I bumped into the short lady who stood between us as she put away her purchases. I quickly grabbed her for a hug to cover up the fact that I didn't even notice she was there. This caught her off guard.

"Oh! Well, ok then," she said hugging me back and patting my shoulder. "You two have fun." I looked over at Seth and he was trying not to laugh. How many times can I embarrass myself in one day?

**_______________________________________**

**a/n: Some confessions are coming up! Let's see how Tala handles them. **

**I'm writing another story about Edward and Bella - all human. I'm stuck. Total writer's block. So, I was thinking about writing this story (Power of an Imprint) in Seth's POV if people are interested. Let me know!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! There was something weird going on with the Update Alerts. I know there are a couple people who didn't get their email, so you may want to double check to make sure you read Chapter 6.**

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Chapter 7

When we got to the beach it was very busy. There weren't any parking spots close to the beach so we had to park the car a short hike away from the sand.

"I hope you don't mind walking a bit," he said looking over at me across the front seat.

"Not at all. Exercise will do me some good. I haven't worked out since the accident," I replied. Seth gave me a timid smile and looked up at my scar. He turned around and got out of the car. I sat there for a second trying to interpret his thoughts. I decided not to worry about. When I turned around to open the car door, Seth was already there opening the door for me, offering his hand. I grabbed it and smiled at him. I could get used to this chivalry.

Seth opened the tailgate to his truck. He had thought of everything. There was an umbrella and a large blanket. He opened up the huge cooler and handed me a bottle of water. I took it with a smile and eyed the massive amount of food.

"Are you expecting others?" I asked trying not to sound disappointed.

"No," he laughed. "That's all for us. I wasn't sure what you liked so there's a variety. Plus, I'm a big eater," he admitted sheepishly.

I held out my arms, offering to take something. He wouldn't let me. He grabbed everything and started walking towards the beach. By the time we walked down the road and across the sand I was winded. The walk and the extra weight didn't seem to affect Seth.

We found a secluded spot on the beach near the shade. As I was eating my sandwich I was quietly thinking of all the things I wanted to talk to him about. I had a lot of questions for him, but I wasn't sure how to bring them up or what to ask first.

"This sandwich is so good," I said between bites.

"I have a confession to make. I stopped by Emily's this morning and she helped me with everything." He pretended to slump his head in shame. I laughed.

"That's ok. This is all great. I'm having a really good time."

We carried on a casual conversation, asking each other simple questions, trying to get to know each other. It was the type of information you usually find out _before_ you share a passionate kiss. I was enjoying myself as I was getting to know more about him. I was relieved to find out we had more in common than a strong attraction to each other.

"So, your people are Makah," Seth stated, "the _Qwiqwidicciat."_ He pronounced it perfectly_._

My jaw dropped and I looked at him, "Impressive!" I praised. "You were doing your research."

"Nah, we learned about the other natives in the area in school. So, do your people have any legends?" he asked.

"Nothing exciting," I replied. "Only the Two-Men-Who-Changed-Things. They were supposedly the ones who created all the plants and animals out of these plain creatures. They were preparing the earth for humans. It's nothing compared to the Quileute legends."

"You know about them?" he seemed shocked.

"Of course! Our school taught us stuff too," I teased. "It's my favorite legend too. Decedents of wolves? That's pretty cool. You know, I was offered an internship with the Conservation Society for Wolves and Whales in Kent for the summer."

Seth was silent. I looked over at him and he was staring at me with disbelieving eyes.

"What?" I asked wondering if I said something that made me sound like a major nerd.

"You've got to be kidding me?" he asked. I couldn't read the look on his face.

"No. Why? Is that weird?" I started to ramble quietly, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Um, I thought it would be cool to hang out with wolves and learn about them, and, you know, take boat rides out in the ocean to map out whale tails. But I'm not sure if the whales are around this area in the summer. I don't know hardly anything about their migration pattern…" I trailed off when I heard Seth chuckle.

"No, that's not weird at all. That's really cool." He continued to laugh.

"Then why are you laughing at me?" I felt insecure. I think he could hear it in my voice because he stopped laughing. He fought hard to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry," he said and crawled over to me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "It's just really ironic, is all." I wondered what he meant by that, but didn't ask. "When do you get started with the internship?"

"I won't. I had to turn it down because of the accident." I felt Seth's arm stiffen around me.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said and kissed the fuzz covered scar. His apology reminded me of one of the questions I wanted to ask him.

"Yeah, about that. Why are you sorry?"

He pulled away to look at my face and his eyebrows pulled together. "I'm sorry you weren't able to take the internship."

"No, not that. In the hospital…that was you, right? Holding my hand? You kissed my forehead and told me you were sorry."

"Oh, you heard that. Wow." He pulled away from me to lie on his back. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He laid there for a minute not saying anything. "Ok, I'm just going to come right out and say it," he finally said, but more to himself. He sat back up. He looked me straight in the eye, his face smooth and serious. He looked nervous.

I immediately got tense. Is this where my tall, dark and handsome, the man of my dreams, my one and only, tells me something so horrible about himself that I won't be able to look beyond it? I knew he was too good to be true.

He sat in front of me with legs in a pretzel and grabbed my hands. His mouth kept opening and shutting, inhaling and exhaling, as if he was trying to figure out the best way to break the news. I was gnawing on my bottom lip and trying to keep my breath steady. I waited for what seemed like several minutes before he finally spoke.

"Ok, you know about our legends, right?"

I nodded.

"What would you say if I told you the legends were true?" he asked slowly and carefully, still looking into my eyes.

It took me a few moments to process his words. Seth waited patiently. A few visions of the Quileute stories flashed through my mind until I stopped at one. The Spirit Chief who left his body to patrol the land looking for danger, but his body was stolen by his enemy. Having no body, he took on the form of a wolf to warn his people of his enemy's malicious plans.

"Your ancestors really did turn into wolves?" I asked cautiously. Hoping he wouldn't laugh at me.

Seth nodded slowly and let my mind process his confirmation. Another image rattled through my mind. It was of a large sandy-brown animal that walked around my car at the accident, its nose sniffing through the window and the gravitational pull that I had towards it. The same feelings I had towards Seth the first time I saw his big, dark eyes. The same feelings I still had that very moment. I gasped and looked up at him again, letting go of his hands. I looked intently into his eyes and over his face, trying to see something that would verify my thoughts. Seth's face seemed to look like he was going to be sick with worry. I thought about his comment after he laughed when I mentioned my internship. _It's just really ironic, that's all._

"_You_…are a wolf?" I asked, again with caution. It sounded crazy when I actually said it out loud. Seth nodded again. This time he seemed to have relaxed as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Are you messing with me?" A nervous smile crossed my face. "Is this some sort of Quileute prank for all the new girls?" I looked around as if I was expecting Embry or any of the other guys to jump out of the trees to laugh at me.

"No," he said sternly and gently grabbed my hands again. "I will never lie to you." His face was smooth and expressionless. It was the most serious I had ever seen him. I watched him for a minute waiting for his expression to change and to tell me that it was in fact, a joke. He stayed straight-faced.

Finally, I accepted it to be true. It would explain why Seth was sorry for my accident. He was there. He was the one I was gawking at when I hit the tree. Of course, that wasn't _his_ fault. I looked down at our hands. His huge hands were covering mine. Our skin color matched perfectly, but his hands were rough and manly. I couldn't picture them changing into paws.

"No…way," I eventually whispered. Seth's thumb caressed the top of my hand in a way to comfort me. I knew he was letting the idea sink into my head—waiting for me to ask questions, scream, run away—waiting for some reaction.

"No _way_!" I whispered again. "How is that possible? I thought I was crazy." I looked up at him. "That was you by my car?" He continued to bob his head, his mouth pulling down in the corners.

"So, you're what, a _were_wolf?" I asked skeptically.

"Well, technically no, I'm a shape shifter. But I only turn into a wolf, nothing else. We consider ourselves werewolves, but we don't need the full moon or anything" he started to sound excited as he was explaining things.

"We? Who else?"

"All the guys. The younger Quileute men. Oh yeah, and Leah."

"Leah!?" I gasped.

"Yeah, she's the only female. We're not sure why." I looked up at him and his face looked energized. I could tell he enjoyed filling me in on his secret. "Leah and I went through the change at the same time."

I lifted my legs up and put my head between my knees with my arms wrapped around my head. I was feeling dizzy. I didn't know how to respond. This was just too much information to process. I had so many questions. I just kept muttering to myself that I couldn't believe it.

"Do you want to see me change?" he whispered.

My head snapped up at him. "What?!" I gasped. "You can do that right here, right now?"

"Yep, remember, no full moon needed. But, I would prefer to do it somewhere else. The tourists may freak out a little bit."

"I don't know. I don't know if I can handle it." My voice shook.

"You've seen me before. I thought you liked wolves?" he said with a teasing grin.

I gave him a shocked look. "Yeah but that's different, I…"

"Oh, come on, you've got to see it to believe it. I promise," he gently grabbed my face, "it's not that bad." His face was pleading. "It's actually pretty cool."

I took a deep breath. _I can do this,_ I thought to myself. He was right; I had to see it for myself or I wasn't going to fully believe it. "Ok." I let my breath out slowly.

Seth grabbed my hand and stood up, gently pulling my arms. I didn't want to budge. I just stared at him. He gave me that massive grin that made me melt every time.

"Come on…" he urged.

"Fine," I smiled back and let him pull me to my feet.

**********

Seth and I walked towards the woods. We had been at the beach, talking and getting to know each other for hours. Many of the tourists were gone. The sun was setting low in the sky making the wooded area shady and dark in spots. Seth was walking one step in front of me, leading me along. I could feel my body start to tremble a little. It was an odd mixture of fright and excitement.

When we approached the trees he looked back at me. His eyes were bright with excitement. I could feel myself instantly relax. His affect on me was tremendous. Even though he made an unbelievable confession and was about to show me he turned into a creature of legends, my feelings for him never changed. I knew I could trust him. I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

As soon as Seth thought we were far enough in the woods, he stopped and turned to face me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and squeezed me firmly. I could hear his chest pounding.

"Ok," Seth whispered, "just stand right here." He backed away a few yards, smiling the whole way. I couldn't help but smile back.

My heart started to race. I didn't know what to expect. I should've asked about the process so I would've been more prepared. I was startled when he quickly took off his shirt. I could feel my jaw fall slack involuntarily while my eyes trailed a line down his chest. I could see every ripple of his long lean muscles beneath his bronzed skin. His shorts were riding low on his hips.

"Are you drooling?" Seth interrupted my gawking. My eyes snapped up to his face. His eyebrows were high, making his forehead crease. "I know I'm hot, but focus Tala," he was teasing me.

I let out a breathy laugh. "Sorry." I looked away. My face felt warm.

Seth kicked off his shoes and put his thumbs in the front of his pants, ready to strip them off.

"Wait, wait! What are you doing?" I gasped. I threw my hand up to cover my view. I hadn't seen many naked men in the flesh. I felt a little embarrassed. I didn't want to get caught staring again.

"I have to take off my clothes or they'll shred. I didn't bring extras. It's me naked now, or on the ride home." I thought about that a second…a small smile crept to my lips.

"Fine," I groaned. "Just turn around then. I will feel more comfortable looking at you from behind."

"Oh! So you're a butt-girl!?"

"Seth!" I giggled. "Hurry up before I lose my nerve."

"Sure, sure." He turned around and dropped his pants. I let out a little gasp. I heard him chuckle.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

"You sure?"

"Just do it!" I blurted.

In a movement that happened so fast that I couldn't comprehend the process, I saw Seth's body quiver, heard an awful ripping sound, and then a sandy-brown wolf stood before me, its tail wagging. The quickness startled me and I stumbled back. The wolf turned around to look at me. My heart was pounding and my ears started to ring. My head started to feel like it was floating off my body. My hands went to my knees and I tried to steady my breathing. The blackness started in my peripheral vision and threatened to blind me. I knew this feeling, I couldn't stop it. I was fainting.

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**So there you go. Now she knows. Did you think it was realistic? What I wrote would be my reaction. I would totally faint...not from the change but from that ripping sound. Gross! And yes, I am a butt-girl and a hips girl. Those would be the things I would focus on too. Raaar...**


	8. Chapter 8

**I own a worn out paperback copy of Twilight that has been read a dozen times, pages falling out, and has even been to Ireland (I've never been to Ireland, but my damn book has!). But, I don't own the saga or its characters. Bummer.**

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Chapter 8

After insisting he at least put his pants back on, I let Seth carry me back to the truck. I was still feeling a little light headed. We had walked far enough into the woods where the truck was a short stroll away. Although he was almost jogging, Seth didn't seem to struggle with me in his arms. My ear was against his chest and I could hear that his breathing was even and his heartbeat was steady.

"Are you alright? Do you want me to take you home? You haven't said much." He seemed nervous from my reaction, but I insisted I was alright.

"No, I don't want to go home yet. I'm not done with you," I smiled up at him.

"Do you want to go to my place? There shouldn't be anyone there until later." His eye brows were twitching up and down.

"I don't know…going back to a boy's place on the first date…I don't think I'm that kind of girl," I teased.

"Oh please, unlike some people I know," his head nodded towards me, "I _can_ control myself. I'll be a perfect gentleman."

I slapped his shoulder. I was still embarrassed over my lack of self control on the couch earlier. "What can I say, you make me drool." I mocked myself.

He let out a hearty laugh and was still laughing when we got to the truck.

************

When we got to Seth's house, we unloaded the cooler. Seth lived in a large farm house with Embry and Quil. Jared recently moved out due to his marriage to Kim. When we walked in the door Quil was home. He was grabbing his stuff to leave.

"Man Tala, I can't believe you fainted! I was waiting for you to puke. The look on your face!" Quil chuckled.

I looked at Quil with bewilderment and then to Seth. We _just_ left the beach. I was sure his cell phone was in his truck with me when he went back for the stuff we left on the beach.

"How…" I started.

"Dude, I haven't told her _everything_ yet! What are you still doing here?" Seth growled.

"Relax, I'm leaving. I told Claire I would help with her math homework before bedtime. Next week is her last day of school. She has all sorts of plans for me this summer," Quil sighed, "I'm a dead man."

"Hmmm…4th grade math. Do you think you can handle it?" Seth teased.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be back in a couple hours. Put a tie on the door if you don't want to be disturbed," he chuckled as he shut the door.

Seth looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Don't let him fool you. He loves all that girly stuff Claire makes him do."

"So what else haven't you told me?" I asked.

"Come on." He grabbed my hand and led me to the living room.

He sat down on one side of the massive couch, patting the recliner next to him. "Have a seat."

I gave him a smile and sat down on the couch next to him. I cuddled up under his outstretched arm with one arm stretched across his chest.

"Ok, this is better," he beamed. "So, you're not repulsed by me?"

"Oh goodness no! A little weirded out, maybe, but not repulsed."

"Why do you think you fainted?"

"Hmmm…I don't know," I said sarcastically. "Maybe it was the shock. There was a part of me that didn't believe you. I don't take surprises very well. But mostly, I think it was that sound," I shivered, "it sounded like your body was ripping apart." He nodded his head in agreement. "Is that what it feels like?"

"No. Back before I could control it all the trembling felt strange, but it doesn't hurt."

"How did Quil know I fainted?"

"When we are in wolf form, we can hear each other's thoughts. We can see what the other is seeing. Quil was in wolf form when I was showing you. So was Embry. It can be embarrassing sometimes."

"Embry is one too?"

"Yep, like I said the younger males."

"And Leah," I remembered. Seth nodded. "Have you been all your life?" I was picturing little puppy werewolves running around.

"I was fifteen when I started to change. Most of the others were sixteen or seventeen."

"Will you be a wolf all your life?" My thoughts shifted to the dog I had growing up. His muzzle turned gray with age.

"As long as I keep phasing into a wolf, I won't age. When I stop phasing for good, I'll start aging."

I pushed away from him to gaze at his face. "You don't age?" I whispered. "Have you looked like this since you were fifteen?" My hand slipped up to his face to push a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Pretty much. Other than bulking up," he said as he flexed his bicep. His round muscle tightened up and wiggled under his skin. I rolled my eyes and went back to my cuddling position under his arm.

"What else do I need to know? Remember, I'm not good with surprises."

"Ok, let's see. Sam's the Alpha, the pack leader. It was Jacob but he moved away with his, uh, girlfriend and her family…"

"Alpha," I snickered.

Seth squeezed my shoulder and continued. "Jacob visits a couple times a year. His family and friends are still here."

"So what were you doing out in the woods by yourself…during my accident?" I felt him shift as if he were uncomfortable with the subject. I pulled myself away again and kissed him on the cheek.

"You know, it's not your fault, right? I should've been paying attention. I was tired; there was a glare from the sun…"

"You were looking at me. I shouldn't have distracted you. I should've followed you from a distance," he cut himself off. "Wow, I sound like a stalker." He said with a nervous smile.

"If you weren't there, I could've been worse off," I gave him a reassuring smile. He tilted my head down and kissed the purplish line.

"I heard you howl."

"I was calling others for help."

"Thank you," I whispered. His face looked solemn. I preferred his smiling, happy face. "My hero!" I exclaimed in a poor Southern accent, clenching my hands together to my chest, batting my eyelashes. As I had hoped, his face lit up and he let out his boisterous laugh.

"Ok, what else, what else," I said excitedly like a little kid, and curled back to his side.

"Well, as you probably noticed, I'm very warm."

"Yeah, I noticed. It was convenient at the bonfire last night."

"I heal fast and never get sick. I'm stronger than your average man. And, I'm pretty darn graceful if I do say so myself," he made a point to puff out his chest mocking himself.

"How could a girl resist!?" I teased.

He snorted, "Yeah…right. Uh-oh. Here comes your cousin. Be prepared from some razzin'."

"Oh great," I groaned.

"Oh yeah, and we have excellent hearing," he smiled getting up off the couch heading towards the kitchen.

Just then, as Seth predicted, Embry busted through the door and ran into the living room where Seth left me sitting on the couch.

"That was priceless! Man, you should have seen yourself. Quil and I had a bet on how you would react. You won me five bucks!" Embry took Seth's place on the couch and gave me a shaky one-armed hug.

"Ugh!" I grabbed the couch pillow and covered my face, throwing myself on my back across the couch. "I'm never going to hear the end of this," I groaned into the pillow. I suddenly realized something. "Oh yeah, and _you're_ a wolf too!?" I started playfully kicking his thigh with my out-stretched legs. He didn't seem to feel it.

"Yep." He said proudly.

"This is so crazy! I can't believe I'm taking it so well. Does my mom know? Does _your_ mom now?"

"Oh no!" Embry shook his head quickly, "and you can't say anything," he raised his voice a little towards the kitchen, "didn't you tell her _anything _yet?" Then he looked at me. "You don't know the half of it!" His eyes were as excited as Seth's had been earlier at the beach.

"Easy!" A warning growl came from the kitchen. I gave Embry a silent inquisitive look. He shrugged his shoulders in return and made the zip-his-lip gesture.

Seth came back with a couple of large cups of ice water and a bag of Doritos. He sat them on the coffee table in front of us and kicked Embry off the couch. Seth picked up my feet and started rubbing them with his large warm hands. It felt intoxicating. I let out a soft moan.

"Man, you two," Embry teased as he grabbed the remote and clicked on the TV. He shoved a handful of cheesy triangles in his mouth.

"Do you mind? We're on a date," I said to Embry sternly. Seth gave me, and then Embry, a proud look.

"Hey, this is my house too. Plus, Paul and Jared and the ladies will be here soon. We've got a Wii tennis tournament to finish."

The three of us watched TV for awhile. I kept asking questions about being a wolf. Did everyone look the same? Did their appetite have anything to do with what they were? Did they consider themselves a "pack"? I tried to compare them with anything I knew about wolves. They answered all my questions with enthusiasm.

Seth continued to massage my feet, ankles, and lower leg. I tried not to let my eyes close from the relaxation since it intensified the urge to pull him on top of me and have another make-out session. I had to keep reminding myself that I'd just met Seth yesterday, even though it felt like we've been together all our lives. And, I also had to refrain since Embry was on the recliner next to us. That behavior would have just been rude.

The gang arrived with armloads of pizza boxes, bags of breadsticks, and, in comparison, a dainty salad. I had a feeling the salad wasn't for the guys. Although I spoke briefly to all the others at the bonfire, I was formally introduced to the gang proudly by Seth. He gave everyone a brief run-down about me. It was obvious that he had been listening to me on the beach when we exchanged life stories. I watched him with admiration. He remembered everything and he was talking about me with the same enthusiasm as he had when he talked about being a wolf. I was a little uncomfortable and in awe at the same time.

Even though Jared and Kim's passion seemed to have dimmed in comparison to the prior evening, I would occasionally catch them in the act of a sensual kiss in the kitchen or a happy grab between rounds of tennis.

I asked Kim how long they had been together. She said it had been five years, married for six months. "Still so much in love after five years?" I asked her. Kim's face radiated and her eyes looked towards Jared. She lazily nodded her head. Jared caught her peeking and gave her a wink. She instantly blushed. She must have been a true blushing bride.

Paul and Rachel seemed just as devoted to each other, although they weren't as public about it. I could tell by the way they talked to each other. They teased with a fun banter, never mean or cruel. They seemed like best friends. If it wasn't for the occasional congratulatory kiss between tennis matches or the cute pet names they had for each other, I wouldn't have known they were a couple. When I casually commented to Rachel about what a cute pair they made, she shooed off the thought and said, "Well, I'm stuck with him, so I may as well make the best of it." But I could tell by the way she looked at him, she was _more_ than happy to be "stuck" with him.

Quil came home to Embry's relief, "Finally, my partner! It's about time, they're killing me."

"Sorry, Claire had me reading every single princess fairy tale she owned before she went to bed."

"Just wait until she's a teenager. She'll have you reading her romance novels and poetry," joked Paul.

"Yuck," Quil snorted. I couldn't tell if his response was regarding the poetry or the leftover salad he was picking through on the table. It was pretty much the only thing left of the feast.

"That's so sweet that you do that. Claire's parents don't mind that you're there so late on a school night?" I asked while flipping through a Sports Illustrated magazine trying not to sound like I was judging his actions. I was truly curious.

The room went silent. I looked up to see everyone giving Seth a disapproving look. I looked over at Seth and he seemed anxious.

"What? I'm sorry Quil, I didn't mean…" I started to apologize for sounding judgmental.

"Dude?" was all Quil said looking at Seth.

"Well, I'm glad I didn't say something stupid," Rachel muttered.

"I just met her yesterday and I _just_ told her I was a wolf a few hours ago." Seth was explaining himself to the group, for what, I was not sure. I tried to paste clues together in my head to figure out what everyone was referring to.

"Seth, I want to know everything," my voice quivered. I suddenly felt uneasy. What possibly could trump Seth being a wolf?

Seth was running his fingers tensely through his hair.

"Oh, Tala," Kim noticed my anxiousness and put one arm around me gently. "Don't worry. It's wonderful," she said with an excited look of anticipation on her face. I instantly relaxed. My eyes drifted back to Seth. He was giving me a sheepish grin.

"What, are you going to pop the question or something?" I said trying to make light of the situation. The room burst out in snickers and nervous coughs.

Seth offered his hand to me and nodded his head to the stairs. I examined the faces in the room. Each had some form of reassuring smile on their face. I looked back up at Seth. He seemed to be blushing. I grabbed his hand and let him lead me upstairs to his bedroom.

* * *

**Gee. I wonder what they are going to talk about next? :) It's a little predictable I know. After all the obvious stuff is out of the way it should be more exciting. I'm shamelessly asking for reviews 'cause it makes me feel good!**

**My favorite fan fics right now are Edward Wallbanger by feathersmmmm and High Anxiety by edwardsbloodtype. You should check them out if you haven't already. Another is My Escort by Bratty Vamp. She just started it, but I've loved her other stuff so I'm sure it will be wonderful. Check 'em out.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I love me some Seth and the wolves, but they aren't mine. Have you guys seen the cutie-patootie playing Seth in the movie Eclipse? Adorable! I feel a little silly writing naughty thoughts about his butt and low-riding pants...I could be this kid's mother. But, _my_ Seth is 20 and way more manly!!**

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Chapter 9

Seth had a huge bed, which made sense, since he was one of the largest men I had ever seen. He had a simple dresser with a huge collection of CDs organized on top. The only picture he had displayed in his room was of his dad, Harry, who passed away from a heart attack about six years ago.

I hoisted myself up on the tall bed and let my legs dangle. I watched as Seth shut the door behind him. He turned around and looked at me in silence with a worried smile on his face.

"I can't believe they did that to me," he mumbled to himself and then looked up at me. "I think it's too early to tell you, but they know I've been struggling with it for almost two weeks now. It's just that I'm so glad we finally met, I don't want things to go too fast…"

"Oh my gosh, you are going to ask me to marry you?" I whispered. It was the first thought that popped in my head that would explain his nervousness. My body tensed and my hands slowly went up to my mouth in shock. I didn't want my actions to hurt his feelings. I knew things seemed to be moving pretty fast between us, but I certainly wasn't ready for marriage.

"No! Ha! No." Seth gasped as he moved across the room to stand in front of me. "I just don't want you to freak out with information overload, you know?" He was looking at me intently.

"Just please tell me," my voice quivered and my eyes started welling up. The suspense was killing me. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I didn't know what to expect. He noticed my tension and gave me his heart-melting smile. I instantly felt my body relax. He took my hands in his and the energy flowed from his hands through mine. When I looked into his eyes it was as if I'd known him forever. I trusted him whole-heartedly. I felt protected. I felt loved.

"You feel this between us, right?" Seth held up our hands, "this energy?" I looked down at our hands. I could feel my heart start to pound in my chest and I felt a catch in my throat. I was worried about how my voice would sound, so I just nodded.

"The first time I saw you," he paused, "I actually didn't see you. I sensed you. I felt a pull towards the highway and then I saw your car. I knew the sensation. I recognized it from the others' experiences. I was too eager to meet you. You must have felt it too. I saw you looking over at me from your car," I looked up at him and when I did, hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

"How do you know what I was feeling? What _is_ it that I'm feeling?" I begged for some clarification.

Seth looked at me with a soft smile and wiped my tears from my face. "Let me tell you what I'm feeling. Maybe your feelings are the same."

"Ok." Suddenly I felt embarrassed, not sure of what Seth would say. I also felt relieved that he would be doing most of the talking. I still felt I was moving too fast and I was going to scare him away if I told him my true feelings.

"When I first saw you, after the draw towards you, after the accident," he cringed, "even though I'd never met you, I knew you were the one. Your eyes fluttered open and looked at me and there was an instant connection. You looked so broken," he stopped and shook his head as if he wanted to push away the vision. "Then in the hospital they wouldn't let me in, so I snuck in," he looked up at me like he was ashamed. "Once I touched your hand…"

"That's when I first felt it too," I whispered. I nodded once to encourage him to continue.

"Then finally! I got to meet you. When I looked in your eyes again and saw it in your face too, I was so relieved."

"What did you see?" I was listening to him like a little girl listening to a fairy tale.

"I saw my other half. The person I never wanted to lose. The person I would do anything for. I would do anything to be with," his hand pushed through my hair.

"Like, love at first sight?" I timidly asked closing my eyes and pushing my head into his large hand.

"It's so much more than that. The admiration I have for you, the respect. I don't see any other woman. I will be the person you need me to be. If you need a friend, I'm cool with that. If you want more," he paused. My head tilted up to meet his gaze. My heart started racing from his words. My blood was rushing through my veins. I blushed because I knew I was giving myself away. I wanted to confess my love for him, my desire for his presence, but it still seemed wrong, even after everything he had confessed.

"Is that how _you_ feel?" he asked.

"I'm scared to tell you how I feel," my voice was still unsteady.

"Why?" his face went blank with worry.

"I'm afraid I'll scare you away."

"You won't get rid of me that easily," he pulled me into a hug with a sigh, "only if you ask me to leave."

"Never," I said so softly I didn't think he would hear. I felt him squeeze me tighter. He heard me. I forgot about his excellent hearing.

Seth waited patiently in our embrace while I steadied my breathing. I didn't realize my struggle until I wanted to form sentences.

"I felt the same way when I saw you in the hospital. All I did was look in your eyes and I needed to be near you. I didn't even know your name, but I felt that draw. Then at the bonfire, it was like I felt your presence and my body just gravitated towards you. I didn't feel happy unless you were holding me. I can't get close enough to you," with that I opened up my knees and pulled him closer to me. I was feeling more comfortable with my confession. I hadn't scared him away yet. "You're a stranger to me, but I feel like I've known you all my life. I don't understand why."

"That's why I needed to talk to you. The reason we're feeling this way, it's part of our Quileute legend. Along with being a wolf, we find our, soul mate, you could call it. You're my," he paused looking at my face for a reaction, "imprint. I've imprinted on you."

*************

I could feel Seth's large hands gripping my back pulling me closer to him, but it wasn't close enough for me. My lips were crushing into his while my hands grabbed his silky hair pushing his face harder into mine. Every part of my body was warm with my desire for him. I was crushed so hard against his body that I could feel the passionate groan slowly rumble from his stomach and turn into a growl that vibrated his chest. He stopped kissing before I did and held a threatening growl with his lips pulled thin across his teeth. I pulled my mouth away from his, gasping for air. Seth's eyes were black and glowing. I stepped back quickly, frightened by his defensive appearance. He seemed to be staring past me. I looked behind me and saw nothing but the forest with streams of bright sunlight peeking through the trees.

I looked back at Seth. His face had not changed. I noticed his black, glossy hair was long past his shoulders. He had on a simple carved, wooden head dress. His sculpted chest was bare. The only thing keeping him from being completely naked was a small patch of hide covering the space between his hips and his mid-thighs. He looked like a beautiful native warrior god from an old historical painting. A thick sunbeam snuck in through the tree tops and touched Seth's brown skin, making it shimmer like gold. He was the most stunning being I'd ever seen.

Seth's eyes were still glowing and looking past me as he continued to growl. I slowly backed away from him and he walked forward. His steps matched mine. I started moving quicker until I was running backwards. I tripped on a tree branch stretched across the ground and fell on my back. Seth stopped right in front of me, his gaze still in the trees. I looked behind me again, but this time I saw a bright shimmering light. When I heard a piercing snap of a growl I turned my head back towards Seth. He was in wolf form barreling past me into the light.

I popped my head off the pillow gasping from both the excitement Seth's kisses gave me and from the scare of Seth's attack in my dream. I could still feel the warmth throughout my body. Everything about the dream felt too real. I tried to steady my breathing. I suddenly realized I wasn't in my own bed or on my temporary bed on my mother's couch. The room was pitch-black. The only light came from the red numbers on the digital alarm clock. It was 2:34 a.m.

The room was freezing. Seth must have left the window open. I had fallen asleep talking to Seth…in his bedroom…in his bed. We talked about anything and everything we hadn't discussed on the beach. Since he revealed his true self to me, I had a lot more questions, especially about imprinting. We talked about my observations of the other couples and Seth confirmed that they had imprinted too. As we talked we were positioned side by side on the big bed, my left hand in his right, our heads bent towards each other. We made an unspoken agreement not to look in each others eyes. We both got distracted and couldn't finish sentences when we did. The sexual tension between us apparently influenced my dreams.

I could hear Seth's deep, light snores next to me. I slowly reached over to see how close he was. My fingers bumped up across his stomach muscles and crept up to his chest. He was sleeping on his back and apparently took off his shirt at some point. His body was so warm! The breeze from the window gave me goose bumps. I slowly slid myself across the bed and snuggled against Seth for warmth with my hand still on his chest. He was like my personal electric blanket.

"Do you always molest men while they sleep?" Seth whispered.

I yelped and removed my hand. "You scared me!" I started to giggle from my embarrassment and couldn't stop. I buried my face in the pillow to stifle the laughs.

Seth grabbed me and pulled me towards him. I was pressing up against his chest and his arms wrapped around me like a blanket.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy?" he growled in my ear. His deep voice in my ear sent a shiver down my spine.

"Sorry," I whispered. "I had a strange dream. I forgot where I was. I started patting around…" my voice trailed off to more giggles. "Oh no, my mom!" I suddenly remembered I had someone to report to and shot up to my knees. "Where's your phone?" I asked while I started to crawl off the bed.

"Don't worry about it. You dozed off in the middle of me telling you about the Spirit Warrior legend. We called your mom and told her you were just staying over here."

"What did she say to you?" I gasped in horror. I can't imagine what my mom must have thought when she received a call from a man telling her that her daughter wasn't coming home.

"Don't worry, I had Embry call. I figured you would rather have your cousin call than your…" he didn't finish. I smiled in the darkness.

"Yeah, but still, she knows I was out with you."

"Tala, you're a grown woman. I'm sure your mom's not naïve and I'm sure she knows the type of person you are. She was cool with it. She thanked Embry for letting her know," he assured me. He paused for a minute. "Unless you _want_ me to take you home?" He sounded upset at the thought.

"No," I said and crept back down to my spooning spot in his arms. "You're right. My mom's not going to freak out about it. Plus, nothing happened. It was totally innocent."

"I wouldn't say totally innocent. Who knows what you would have done to me if I didn't wake up." I could tell he was smiling into my hair. I jabbed my elbow into his ribs.

"Stop!" I squealed as my giggles started in again.

* * *

**Total mush-fest, I know! I'm not one for stories where there's a ton of "I Love You's" and stuff like that. So, that's as lovey-dovey as it's going to get. Also, I know my chapters are short. If I get more than my average amount of reviews this week, I'll post the next chapter early...like maybe Monday? **

**Oh yeah, btw, I'm rating this "M" because I'm paranoid. I'm not one to write lemons but there are a couple cuss words and some sensual moments. If you're looking for hot lusty sex, then this isn't the story for you. I wouldn't be able to write about it. I'd be giggling the whole time. hee hee**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! I felt that last chapter seemed short. Even though it was about the same amount of words as the last ones, it didn't seem like a lot went on. So here we are, Chapter 10...I'm feeling generous :)**

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Chapter 10

"Will you please pass me the sugar?" I asked my mom who was standing next to the counter. She handed it to me and I put a couple teaspoons into my coffee. I had picked up a coffee maker the last time we went into town for a doctor's appointment. I only had one appointment left. The doctor was pleased that everything healed so well. My hair was long enough to cover the scar, but not long enough to look like a normal hairstyle. I started wearing it up in a pony tail so it wasn't so obviously lopsided.

Mom sat down next to me and started eating her cereal. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm looking for a job," I replied as I looked in the newspaper. "I was told there was a position in the DNR's office." I pointed to the spot in the classified ads. "Yep, here it is."

"Oh yeah, which one?" she casually asked between bites.

"Forks," I said with a small smile knowing what her reaction would be. It took her a minute to respond.

"Here?" she had a cheery smile on her face. "You might move here?"

"What do you think? Would you mind if I lived with you until I found my own place?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind! You can stay as long as you want," she leaned over and patted my hand. "We can make the storage room into your bedroom so you don't have to sleep on the couch anymore. There's plenty of room in the shed to store some of the stuff you don't need right away…" she continued planning my move while she cleaned her dish and cleaned up the kitchen. She finally stopped and said, "Well, we don't know if you even have the job yet."

"I think I'm still moving here, even if I don't get the job."

My mom turned around to look at me. "Does this have anything to do with Seth?" she asked with a perceptive look on her face.

I looked down at the paper. "May-be," I chimed, unable to control my smile.

"I saw it coming. I could tell by the way you two look at each other," she said, "and you know I approve of him." In fact, my mother adored Seth. She spoiled him rotten every time he visited. She treated him like the son she never had. She insisted he call her Anna instead of the respectable Mrs. Bass he usually called her. She corrected him every time he slipped up.

"What about Seattle and your apartment?" she asked.

"I don't have any ties there anymore. My lease is up in July," I hesitated wondering if I wanted to have a relationship conversation with her right now. I couldn't exactly explain imprinting to her. "Besides, the only thing that kept me there was Matt and school. Matt's out of the picture and I've graduated. Now I have a couple reasons for me to move here."

I turned in my chair and smiled at her. "Mom, I really like Seth. I've had such a good time with him. I'd drop everything back in Seattle for him," I told her sincerely.

My mom walked up behind my chair and gave me a hug. "If he makes you happy and that's what you want, then I'm all for it, especially if it brings you closer to me. It just means I'll be closer to my grandchildren!"

"Oh mom…I wouldn't get ahead of myself!"

"You don't think you'll marry him?"

"We've barely been going out for two weeks!" I tried to sound shocked by the idea of marrying Seth. I knew from the observations of other imprints that we would get married someday, if that's what I wanted to do. I had already pictured getting married on the beach, and eventually having little mini-Seths running around at my feet. Although I knew my mom would be thrilled, I couldn't tell her that. I couldn't tell her that there was this magical phenomenon known as imprinting that matched you up with your soul mate. I couldn't tell her that the minute I laid eyes on Seth that every piece of me needed him.

The last couple of weeks Seth and I spent every spare minute we had together. We came to realize that we were very compatible. The all mighty Spirit Warriors were correct in our pairing. Our temperaments are similar. We found out we liked the same music, the same movies, and the same food. We had the same sense of humor and we always laughed at each other's stupid, sometimes naughty, jokes. He teased me ruthlessly about my desire to touch him every chance I got. I couldn't help it. Every part of him was beautiful. His skin, his hair, his lips lured me to him. But he never made fun of me in front of anyone else. He knew I would get extremely embarrassed.

I refrained from spending the night at his house again. I'm not sure why, but I felt I was disrespecting my mother if I did. She never waited up for me, so I'm pretty sure she didn't mind one way or another. Sometimes she even seemed surprised to see me in the morning. My mom was more than my temporary roommate, so I felt the need to go home every night. Plus, it was a good idea for Seth and me to slow things down since we declared our feelings for each other on our very first date.

"Mom, can I borrow your car today?" I asked while I finished my coffee. "I need to pick up a few things and run some errands."

"Sure, just drop me off at work and don't forget to pick me up!" She said as she grabbed her purse. I asked her what time she got out of work and set the alarm on my cell phone. By that time I would more than likely be with Seth and I usually lost track of time with him.

After dropping my mom off at work, I went to the library to work on my resume. Once I thought it looked impressive enough, I printed it off, placed it in an envelope with a stamp, and threw it in the mail. I decided I needed to borrow a couple more novels and wandered through the fiction section. On the very top shelf I noticed a thick novel called _Rise of the Lycans_. I giggled to myself and thought it would be funny if Seth came over and caught me reading a book about werewolves.

I stood up on my tip toes, but I couldn't quite reach the book. I noticed the step stool at the end of the aisle, but stopped myself from going to get it. I remembered my new found ability and wondered if it was a fluke or if it was something I could do all the time.

I glanced on either side of me towards the ends of the aisle to check for any possible witnesses. I slowly lifted my hand towards the top shelf and focused on the book I wanted. After a short moment of concentration, the book slowly inched off the shelf and brought two more books along with it. They all noisily crashed to the floor. Apparently the previous occurrences where I moved things with my mind were not flukes. I could move things when I wanted to.

I started to pick up the books to return them to the shelf when the librarian peeked around from the other aisle to ask if everything was ok. I nodded and smiled at her, "Yeah, sorry for the noise." I grabbed the books I wanted, checked out and headed for the grocery store.

I decided to test my ability in the grocery store. While I moved through the aisles I made sure no one was around before practicing. It was still early enough in the day that the store wasn't busy. Plus, it was a small store and there weren't any security cameras that would catch me in the act as the stores in Seattle would have.

I started out small moving through the produce. Small apples were easy. I moved my hand inches from an apple and concentrated. Just as quickly as I thought about the movement, the apple would slap directly into my hand. I went through my shopping list and attempted to move everything I needed. I was exhilarated from the control and started to skip through the store to find the next item on my list. I wasn't paying attention to the other customers and was almost busted twice.

The next item was milk and I needed a whole gallon. I wondered if I could move a heavy item such as a gallon jug. With the other items I made them come to me. I wondered if I could make something move away from me. I stood in front of the refrigerated cooler with the door wide open. I stared and concentrated on one jug. I visualized where I wanted the jug of milk to move. First there was a small wiggle, and then the jug slid across the shelf and bumped into another jug. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand in shock. I could feel the goofy grin on my face.

"Tala, is everything ok?" I spun around when I heard the soft, sweet voice behind me.

"Emily! Hi! Y-yes, yeah, everything is fine," I stuttered. I couldn't erase my grin. "How are you? I haven't seen you in a few days."

"I'm doing well, thank you," she smiled back, giving me a skeptical look. "I'm glad I ran into you. I'm having everyone over tonight for dinner. Jacob and Nessie are in town for a visit and I would love for you to meet them," she asked.

"Oh sure! We actually made movie plans this afternoon, but I'm sure we could stop by afterwards." I replied, not sure about the dinner plans Seth had made for us.

"That will be fine. We just heard from Jacob this morning, I'm not even sure Seth knows yet," she said.

"I'm sure Seth would love to come over for a visit!" I was eager to meet this Jacob Seth seemed so fond of. He spoke highly of him and I could tell he missed Jacob a lot. Seth mentioned that once in a while Jacob would be close enough, in telepathic range, where they could talk to each other in wolf form. Seth said it was easier than talking on the phone. They could just bring up pictures in their minds and experience each other's thoughts. It was like the pack's own video conferencing system.

I thought about that concept and wondered if the guys, and Leah, knew a little too much about each other. I knew every one of them saw what happened when Seth phased in front of me. They either saw it firsthand through Seth's immediate thoughts or had it recalled in their minds. What other events did they know about? I wasn't sure I wanted to know that answer.

I finished picking up the rest of my groceries and headed home. I only had two hours before Seth would be there and another hour before I needed to pick up my mom from work. As soon as I got home I started cleaning up the house.

I tried my new found ability with my house work. I wasn't able to sit back and relax while I willed the mop to move itself like Samantha on _Bewitched_. But, it sure was useful when I needed to move the ottoman while sweeping the hardwood floors. If it wasn't for the mystical and magical creatures that were just recently revealed to me, I would have probably freaked out from my power. Knowing that this wasn't the strangest thing that existed actually helped me to embrace it. But, I wasn't sure I wanted to share my ability with others yet.

It was noticeable that larger objects seemed to draw more energy from me. I suddenly became very tired. I looked at the clock and saw that I had about a half hour before Seth would be there. It was enough time for a catnap.

It seemed like I just closed my eyes when I felt a warm set of lips kissing an energized trail from the dip behind my ear down to the shallow spot above my collar bone. I kept my eyes closed and let out a soft moan.

"You better get out of here before my big, tough, handsome boyfriend catches you and kicks your butt" I teased. The kissing stopped. I popped my eyes open and saw Seth kneeling down by the couch. He gave me a blank look.

"Seth, I was teasing!" I laughed and grabbed his face.

"I'm your boyfriend?" he smirked. _Oh! That's what that look was for._

"Of course! I thought we had this whole conversation about imprinting and how we can't live without each other," I pulled him on the couch with me, "and how I hate being away from you, yada, yada, yada, you know, all that mushy stuff." I smiled as I reached up to run my fingers through his hair to push it out of his face.

"Well, yeah, but two people can have all that and not be boyfriend and girlfriend…yet…you know." Seth casually said before placing his mouth back on my neck.

"No, I don't know," I told him. "I just know how I feel about you and it seems like you feel the same about me…" I pulled him towards me for a kiss. "Isn't this what this imprinting stuff is all about? Am I not officially your girlfriend?" I asked. I could feel the confusion on my face.

"If that's what you want," Seth smiled.

"Why wouldn't I? Don't all the…" I couldn't think of a more appropriate word, "imprintees feel that way?"

Seth gave me a nervous chuckle. "Usually, yes, but sometimes those types of feelings don't come right away." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

Seth let out a sigh and then said, "Ok, so you know how Quil is always with Claire?"

I nodded slowly.

"Claire was two when Quil imprinted on her."

I felt my jaw drop with my shocked expression. "What!? How could…" Seth cut me off by putting his fingers on my lips.

"I can _guarantee_ he does _not_ feel the same way towards her as I feel about you. And I should know, I'm in his head…a lot," Seth rolled his eyes. I could tell the whole mind reading thing was annoying for him sometimes. "It's usually thoughts like 'I wonder how Claire did on her spelling test' or 'I hope that little brat Jenny doesn't pick on Claire again today.' It's very innocent. It's like he's her big brother but with even more loyalty."

I thought about that for a minute. I remembered their endless game of paper-rock-scissors on the beach and the way the guys picked on Quil about dressing up for her birthday parties. It was kind of sweet actually. I guarantee the guys, or Emily, would not allow Quil anywhere near Claire if he was thinking sick thoughts about a nine year old girl.

"But why imprint if he's just getting a little sister. What about the whole soul mate piece?" I asked. Although I thought the idea was sweet, I assumed all the other girls felt the same way as I did.

"Quil will always be there for her to make her happy. Hopefully, Claire will grow up knowing that love and devotion from him and eventually fall in love with him."

"What about the age difference?"

"Remember, we don't age until we decide to stop phasing."

"Oh yeah, that's right." That whole aging concept was something I hadn't fully wrapped my mind around yet.

"Quil's not looking forward to Claire's hormonal teenage years. She'll either start noticing him or other guys and he's not sure how to handle either," Seth laughed.

"This is all so strange and I'm sure it's something I'll need to get used to. But I will say if Claire feels the same way about Quil when she's a teenager as I feel about you right now, he's in big trouble!" I reached up to kiss his face again.

"So, I'm your boyfriend, huh?" he gave me a teasing smirk.

"Seth Clearwater," I asked, feeling like I was in junior high school passing him a note, "Will you be my boyfriend? Yes or no?"

He leaned down and gave me two sweet kisses. Then he pretended to think about his answer. "Uhhh…yes." He went back to trailing kisses down my neck.

"Good," I groaned, "'Cause I wouldn't let just any guy friend of mine do that to my neck."

"You better not," he growled. It sent a shudder down my spine.

His large hands made their way underneath me and gripped my back pressing me closer to his body. We stretched out on the couch kissing and letting our hands wander. It didn't seem like we were going to stop any time soon. Innocent actions were leading to not-so-innocent actions and I had no intentions of putting a halt to it.

Then I felt a buzzing in my pocket and I knew exactly what it was. "Dammit!" I groaned, almost cried.

Seth stopped what he was doing and gave me a confused look. "What, what'd I do?"

I felt the phone the buzz again and pulled my phone out of my pants pocket. He must not have felt or heard the buzzing in the heat of passion.

I giggled at him and brought the phone to his attention, "It's my mom. She needs picked up from work. She'll be out in fifteen minutes."

"Curse you Mrs. Bass!" Seth said into my stomach.

It tickled so I laughed, "you mean Anna," I mocked.

"Curse you Anna!" he corrected himself. I laughed some more and pushed him off me playfully. I hopped off the couch.

"Sorry," I said trying not to smile, "You're going to have to get a piece of this," I gestured my hands up and down my body, "some other time." I jokingly strutted away from him.

Seth's jaw dropped, "Oh you just wait till I get my hands on you." He jumped off the couch and walked towards me with a devious look in his eye. I bolted for the bathroom with a screech, but of course, he caught me before I could shut the door on him.

Seth was behind me with his arms around me. We both stood in front of the bathroom mirror looking at our reflections. To me, we looked just right. I think he saw it too because we just smiled at each other through the reflection in the glass. With all the things in common, we even looked like the perfect couple. Except that my hair was half way pulled from its ponytail, my make-up was smeared from sleep and my lips were puffy from kissing.

"Do you think you could pick up my mom? I'm a mess!" I laughed.

"You're beautiful," he kissed me on the cheek. "I'll be right back."

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**So...I only got four reviews last time and feeling a little insecure. Please let me know if you like the chapter. It's real quick and easy to do that! If you do NOT like it, I want to know that too...as long as you aren't mean about it! Don't make me cry! I would appreciate constructive criticism.**

**Also, I haven't heard too much in reply to writing this story in Seth's POV. Do you think it would be redundant? I did have a request to write about an Embry imprint. Maybe that could be a sequel to this??**


	11. Chapter 11

**You all are too kind! I'm loving your reviews. Please keep them coming! **

**As if it wasn't obvious to anyone reading this, I don't own Twilight. I do own a movie ticket for the midnight showing of New Moon at 12:01 a.m. on November 20th! Woot-Woot! Have you seen the previews? The wolves look amazing. If you haven't seen it, search for New Moon Wolf Pack and there are a few websites that have a "behind the scenes" kind of thing.**

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Chapter 11

By the time Seth returned with my mother, I was more presentable and ready for our date. I fixed my ponytail and make-up and threw on something that I felt accentuated my greatest assets without looking like I was trying too hard. I always had the need to look pretty for Seth even though he told me I could wear a potato sack and still look sexy in his eyes. I wasn't used to so many compliments from the opposite sex and Seth gave them often. I decided to do whatever I could to receive them. It helped a lot towards building up my self esteem.

Although it was mid-June, it was still chilly in Washington in the evenings. I ended up wearing a red ribbed sweater—Seth had once mentioned he liked me in red—and my favorite dark jeans with my black ballet flats. Once Seth saw me his smoldering eyes scanned me up and down. I received the reaction I was hoping for. He couldn't say or do anything with my mom standing there. I just laughed at him silently.

Seth knew about Jacob's visit and was excited that I was willing to change our dinner plans. I knew seeing Jacob was important to him.

"It's more like a tribal meeting," Seth said on our way to the theater. "Since Jake's in town we'll take advantage and get an informal meeting in."

"That sounds cool. Is it ok that I'm there? Am I allowed?"

"Yep, all imprints are. We won't hide anything from you. You'll get to hear more legends," he said excitedly. "Ones you won't read about in the history books."

"Legends," I asked as I made quotations in the air with my fingers. "So, are they really legends or more supernatural stuff that's actually real?" I said sarcastically.

Seth didn't answer. He just gave me a meaningful look, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"Oh, no," I groaned, "am I going to pass out again?"

Seth laughed loudly, "Man, I hope not!"

I frowned, "Uh-oh."

******

Holding hands with Seth in the dark movie theater only intensified the energy between us. I snuggled up as close as I could to him. If it wasn't for the arm rest between us, I probably would've curled up in his lap. I couldn't get close enough to him. It was a good thing we decided to see the latest comedy about a bachelor party gone wrong in Vegas. Our laughter seemed to neutralize the strong current between us. I kept sneaking peaks in Seth's direction between funny parts and I caught him doing the same.

By the time the ending credits rolled up the screen, my sides ached from laughter and the large diet soda caught up to me. I excused myself to the bathroom. Seth went back to the concession stand to get a popcorn refill.

While I was in the stall I heard a few women walk into the bathroom clicking their heels towards the sink to primp.

"Oh my God! Did you see that tall, dark, and handsome at the popcorn stand?" one lady swooned. My ears instantly perked wondering if they were talking about _my_ tall, dark, and handsome.

Another nasally voice piped in, "You mean the Native American beef-cake…uh, yeah!" They were definitely talking about my beefcake. I smiled to myself. I decided to hang out in the stall to eavesdrop some more.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" The nasally-voiced woman said.

"You don't think he's here with a date?" asked a third voice.

"I didn't see anyone with him. It wouldn't hurt to just talk to him," Nasally egged on Swooner.

"Ok, let me primp a little," Swooner giggled, "do you have any lip gloss?"

After the girls left the restroom, I quickly washed my hands and peeked out into the hallway to spy on Seth. If this whole imprinting legend was true, he wouldn't have any interest in these women. I'm not a jealous person, but I was curious to see how Seth handled the situation. Sure enough, three gorgeous women surrounded Seth. Each one of them could have been a model or some sort of beauty pageant contestant. I stood by the bathroom entrance with my back against the wall.

The lovely blonde girl, who must have been Swooner, was trying to put on the charm, standing really close and sticking out her voluptuous chest. She was batting her eyelashes with a flirtatious smile on her face. The whole time Seth was innocently looking at his popcorn, showing it more attention. He was very polite and was casually talking to the girls. He must have said something funny because all three girls started to laugh. I saw Swooner say something to Seth and he started looking around the lobby as he answered her. His eyes caught mine and he gave me my smile.

"Oh, there she is…Tala!" he hollered and waived to me across the lobby. All three girls snapped their heads in my direction. I started walking toward them smiling back at Seth. Swooner checked me up and down and looked over to her friend and rolled her eyes. When I got closer Seth put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek.

"I was just telling these lovely ladies how funny that movie was," he said as he hugged me.

"Yeah, it was hilarious," I smiled at Swooner.

"Well, I guess we'll have to see it then," Swooner said through her fake smile.

"We have to go. Sam will be expecting us soon," he said to me. "Nice talking with you," he glanced slightly at the other women as he pulled me towards the exit. I waived at the women and let Seth lead me to his truck. They all waived back. Swooner smacked her friend on the arm and muttered "I told you."

Seth held the door open for me as I got into the truck. Once he settled himself into the driver's seat he started playing with the heating controls.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little," I giggled.

"What?" he asked with a questionable smile.

"You had some admirers back there, I see," I teased.

"Oh yeah, who?" he asked sincerely.

I gave him a skeptical look. "The girls you were just talking to," I said. I could tell he honestly didn't know what I was talking about. "They were really pretty, especially the blonde," I was trying to get him to give any of them a compliment.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," he replied. My jaw dropped slightly.

"You didn't notice the three totally hot chicks trying desperately to get you to notice them?" I know this imprinting thing was suppose to make him blind to other women, but how could he not notice them? Plus, Seth is a man. All men at least looked.

"Are you jealous?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

"No! I mean…well, maybe a little," I shrugged and smiled. Seth laughed.

"What do _you_ have to be jealous about? I see no one else but you," he placed his hand on my chin and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. I was totally entertained by this conversation and to be honest, I believed him, but it was still nice to hear. Blame my insecurities. I kept the conversation going.

"You honestly didn't notice the would-be supermodel practically placing her c-cups on your forearm?" I taunted.

Seth started laughing again, "I noticed she was there, obviously, because I was talking to her. But until you just mentioned it, I wouldn't have remembered her hair color. Besides, I was eating popcorn. There are very few people who can distract me from my food," he went back to holding my chin and stroking my face while he stared into my eyes.

I returned his gaze and asked, knowing his answer, "Would one of these people be me?"

"Oh yeah," he was pretending to be serious. He bent down and kissed me lightly on the lips. "I would give up food for you." He kissed me again.

"I wouldn't ask you to do that," I kissed him back, "that's just mean." I tried to match his serious tone.

"Good, cause I really like food," he said between smooches.

I was the first to break away. "Well then, we better go. Emily will have dinner ready."

Seth pulled away from me and gave me a small pout. "You're right. You're always right."

"Awe, it didn't take you very long to figure that out!" I teased.

Seth laughed again and we took off to the Tribal meeting.

************

We pulled up Sam and Emily's long, wooded driveway. The closer we came to the house I discovered the magnificent view that was hidden behind the trees. A simple house sat on a large lawn. The property was surrounded by trees and a large pond. Down by the pond there was a huge bonfire pit with hand carved benches surrounding it. Across the horizon the snow capped mountains were in full view.

"Wow," my mouth dropped in awe. "It's gorgeous. I love the view!"

"It's pretty nice, huh?"

"Nice? It's perfect! It beats sky scrapers and the Space Needle, hands down. I missed this so much when I was at school," I said gesturing to the view.

"Do you think you're going to go back to the city?" Seth asked seriously while he parked the truck. He was looking out the window trying to avoid looking at me. We have had so much fun together during my stay that we really didn't talk about what would happen after I was fully recovered and didn't need to stay with my mom anymore. I hadn't filled him in on my recent job application. Even if I didn't end up getting the job, I had the desire to stay here. I needed to be near Seth and I didn't think it would be fair to ask him to move with me to the city away from the pack. He loved being a wolf. I could tell by the excitement in his eyes when he talked about it and when he talked about his brothers.

"Hmmm…I'm not sure," I was trying to keep my voice somber. "I'll have to see if I get a response from the DNR office in Forks." I peeked at Seth out of the corner of my eye. I could see a smile creep across his face. I turned to look at him to watch his reaction.

"You applied there?" he asked.

"Uh-huh. I put my resume in the mail this morning. Even if it doesn't work out, I could probably find _something_ to do around here or maybe Port Angeles."

"You're going to stick around?"

"Yeah, I think so. My mom is getting used to me being around," I paused, "and of course, I don't think I could move away from you."

Seth turned to look at me and gave me the smile that took up his whole face. He leaned in for a long romantic kiss. After a short minute, he broke away from my lips and looked up towards the house.

"We're being summoned," he said with a pout.

"How come we keep getting interrupted?" I groaned. "Ok, let's go. I am getting hungry. _I_ didn't eat two bags of popcorn."

As soon as we walked into the door Sam greeted us. "You're just in time," he said as he shook Seth's hand. "Emily is getting dinner out of the oven as we speak. Tala, it's so nice to see you again," he kissed my cheek.

We moved through the room getting handshakes, hugs, and kisses. Of course there was a little teasing about having to be called in from our "hot-n-heavy action," as someone called it, from the truck.

"I wouldn't talk Jared!" I replied to one of the accusers. As usual Kim was in his lap. The room erupted in laughter.

"I see she already fits right in," I turned around to see a very large man standing near me. He was bigger than Seth and had a similar heart-warming smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Jake! How are you?" Seth's face beamed. He grabbed Jacob's hand and pulled him into a manly hug. "This is Tala." I offered my hand to shake but he grabbed it and kissed the top.

"Nice to finally see you in person," he said. "Seth's a lucky man."

"Well, thank you," I blushed. "It's nice to meet you as well. I've heard nothing but good things about you."

"Is Nessie here?" Seth asked scanning the room.

"Of course. I think she missed you guys more than I did. She's in the kitchen helping Emily. Come on, I'll introduce you." Jacob grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the kitchen. I looked back at Seth as he followed us. I could tell he was excited for me to meet Nessie.

As soon as we walked into the kitchen there was a squeal. A perky, tiny girl who looked to be in her early teens ran across the room towards Seth.

"Seth!" she squealed as she jumped into his arms and planted kisses on both of his cheeks. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too," Seth said as he squeezed her. "Let me look at ya."

Seth pulled away from Nessie holding one of her arms up as she twirled around. She was a petite little thing with pale skin that had a pink undertone in her dimpled cheeks. Her hair was a brassy blonde that laid in ringlets down her back. She was easily one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen.

"Are you done growing yet?" Seth asked.

"Grandfather thinks I have a couple more years, but it's just a guess," she replied and pulled Seth back in for a hug.

Jacob cleared his throat, "Uh, Ness," he said still holding my hand. He looked at me, "Sorry, she gets a little excited." Then he whispered, "Seth has always been her favorite." I just laughed in response.

"I'm so sorry. How rude of me," Nessie apologized. "I'm Renesmee Cullen. You must be Tala. It's so nice to meet you." She then pulled me into a hug. She seemed as warm as the wolves and I wondered if she was one too.

"Hi," I grunted. She had a strong grip for such a little person. "It's nice to finally meet you too."

While we helped Emily set out the dishes and food, Nessie asked me a ton of questions about myself, genuinely interested in every answer. At least she seemed interested. Although Nessie looked like a teenager, she had the presence and intelligence of someone twice her age, but the enthusiasm of a child half her age.

Nessie and I were so engaged in our conversation that I barely noticed Seth approach me. Beside him was a small woman with familiar dark eyes. I immediately recognized her as Seth and Leah's mother, Sue Clearwater. Seth put his arm around me proudly and introduced me to his mother.

"Welcome to this crazy family, Tala," she said. I knew she meant the pack family and not the Clearwaters in particular.

"Thank you," I replied and gave her a short hug.

Nessie piped in, "Hopefully the stories tonight don't scare her away," she giggled as she snuggled up to Sue.

"Oh, I've been warned," I glanced at Seth. Nessie placed her hand on Seth's cheek and Seth shook his head slightly. If I hadn't been looking in his direction I wouldn't have noticed it.

"It's not so bad," Sue sighed, "It took me awhile to get used to it, but Nessie here has helped me through it." She patted Nessie on the arm.

"Is that why Grandpa Charlie's not here?" Nessie asked Sue.

"Now you know he doesn't want to know more than he needs to," Sue replied.

I looked over at Seth who was watching my reaction. He just gave me a crooked smile and shrugged his shoulder. I was anxious for this council meeting. I had no idea what to expect.

Sue must have noticed my weariness because she took my hand and led me to a seat next to her for dinner. "Don't worry. You have Seth to protect you." She said with a wink.

Dinner was a lot more formal than the picnic on the beach. Of course, the women were served first, per Emily's rules. But this time the men were on their best behavior. I wasn't sure if it was because the elders were present or because we were eating inside the house. Maybe it was a combination of the two.

I took advantage of my time with Sue and asked a lot of questions about Seth as a child. Sue was very talkative and didn't have any problems telling me the embarrassing stories. Leah contributed to the stories making me hold my sides that ached from laughter. Seth just rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew I was building up some ammo for the times he picked on me.

After dinner everyone filed out to the bonfire by the pond. It was a damp and chilly night. The moon was full and illuminated the surrounding trees. I giggled to myself.

"What?" Seth asked.

I pointed at the moon. "Full moon." Seth just rolled his eyes and chuckled.

* * *

**Can we guess what's up next?? How do you like my Renesmee? I based her personality a little on Alice. Since she's still very young I can see her picking up that enthusiasm.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Good morning my faithful readers! I know it's only been a couple days since I last updated. I'm going on an extra long weekend to Florida to visit my mom so I didn't want you to wait too long. I'm so nice...I know! I just chugged some espresso so I'm a little buzzed up right now, if you couldn't tell.**

**And now for the scary stories...**

* * *

Chapter 12

As I looked around the campfire I noticed this gathering was taken more seriously than the informal bonfire at the beach. Everyone was with their significant other, but I didn't notice any love-bubbles. The tribal elders, Old Quil Attera, Billy Black, and Sue Clearwater sat next to each other. Jacob and Sam were close by. The rest of the tribe relaxed around the circle with their imprints.

Billy was the first to speak. He started the meeting with the legend of the Spirit Chief Taha Aki. It was the story of how the werewolves came to be. I was familiar with the story from my grade school days on the reservation, but to hear it from an elder of the tribe in this setting, made it more majestic, especially when the legend had been proven to me to be true. I hung on to every word until a sarcastic laugh broke me out of my trance.

"Same joke every time Sam," Quil said. Claire giggled beside him. "It's getting kind of old." I was so into the story I had missed the joke.

I looked up at Seth. He was watching me intently. I gave him an excited smile. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked with a smile.

"This is pretty cool," I told him. Being a Native American myself made me appreciate the stories, culture, and legends even more.

"There's more," Seth gave me a nervous grin.

Just then Old Quil's voice continued where Billy left off. "This is the story of the third wife's sacrifice. Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, when he was an old man, trouble began in the north with the Makahs."

Seth nudged me and whispered, "I knew you were trouble."

I rolled my eyes at him and nudged him back. I instantly placed my attention back on Old Quil. I hadn't heard any legends about my people being involved with werewolves. Old Quil continued to say how many Makah women had gone missing and how the Makah Chief blamed the spirit wolves. Taha Aki sent out his oldest sons to find the true culprit. They came across a strange, sweet, unfamiliar scent.

Quil broke the tension, "Whew Nessie, I'm glad you're down wind." He plugged his nose and waived his hand in front of his face.

"Talk about repeating the same jokes Quil!" Nessie's voice chimed. "I…don't…stink!" she said as she whipped one marshmallow at Quil with each syllable. She looked like an angry kitten. Jacob pulled her close to him and whispered something in her ear. Both of them looked in my direction. I didn't notice any strange scent from her.

Old Quil cleared his throat and continued his story. As the story goes, two years later more Makah women went missing and the Makah called the Quileutes for help. Once again Taha Aki sent his wolves to investigate. Only one came back and brought the remains of a cold, stony corpse that he carried in pieces.

I felt my eyebrows furrow as I tried to figure out what Old Quil was describing. I remembered how Seth said there were more legends he wanted me to hear. I looked around the campfire. It looked as though I may have been the only one not familiar with the story. There were a few people who were looking at me, interested in my reaction. Nessie was one of them. She gave me a warm smile.

I turned my gaze back to the elder tribe leader. I was eager to hear the rest of the unfamiliar legend. Old Quil described a creature with amazing strength that was hard as stone and cold as ice. The creature drank blood and its eyes glowed red. I felt myself shudder. I was beginning to realize this was _not_ a legend, as I was warned, but in fact the story was true. I came to the understanding from the interested glances in my direction and from the way Seth squeezed me tighter and rubbed my arm when he noticed my tension. I also noticed the way Nessie gave me a smile and shrugged her shoulders as if she was apologizing.

"They called it The Cold One, The Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone," Old Quil described. I looked up at Seth with wide eyes.

"What is it?" I silently mouthed to him.

He lowered his mouth to my ear. His low husky voice sent a shiver down my spine.

"Vampire."

I didn't think my eyes could get any wider. Every form of Hollywood's version of a vampire zipped through my mind from Nosferatu to Brad Pitt.

Old Quil continued to talk about how Taha Aki's third wife scarified herself in order to save her husband from being destroyed by a Cold One. There was more to the story, but I was too terrified in my own thoughts to concentrate. It was hard to believe that such a creature existed. Of course, I knew werewolves existed, but they weren't killers. They were protectors. I never questioned the reasoning behind the pack's patrols. Now I knew they are out patrolling to protect us from vampires!

My head felt as if it were starting to float away from my body. My heart started to pound in my chest. Seth pulled me up into his lap and soothed me by rubbing my back and shushing in my ear. I was surprised I wasn't being made fun of by the guys for being weak. I looked up to see if anyone was laughing at me, but when I did Seth, Nessie and I were the only people left around the fire.

"Did I pass out again?" I groaned.

"I think so. You looked like you were going to so I tried to cover it up and make it look like you fell asleep."

"I don't think they were convinced," Nessie giggled.

"I dare them to pick on you," Seth snarled.

"Thanks," I kissed his cheek. "Where is everyone?"

"Some of them went home, but most went in the house for round two of the buffet," Nessie answered. "Are you ok?" she asked sweetly.

"I think so. I was finally used to the idea of werewolves existing and now I have to worry about vampires!? I'm a little freaked out right now." I looked up at Seth. "Seth, why didn't you tell me?"

"Do you honestly think you would've been able to handle the idea of werewolves, imprinting, _and_ vampires all at the same time?" Seth asked.

"Unless you're born into it, it's a lot to take in," Nessie added.

"You're right," I said to both of them. Apparently I wasn't as strong as I thought. "But, if there's any other being that I should be aware of, please fill me in now," I pleaded.

"Other than the real werewolves," Nessie twitched her fingers in the air to quote the word 'real,' "there are no other creatures that I know of. But I'm pretty sure _those_ werewolves have been hunted to extinction by vampires.

"Real werewolves?" I asked, imitating Nessie's finger gestures.

Seth sighed, "You know, the ones that change during the full moon." My jaw dropped and I shook my head in disbelief.

"Tala, how about you and I spend some time together tomorrow? You can meet my parents. Maybe it will make you feel better," Nessie asked with her sweet and innocent face. I couldn't refuse her. I looked up at Seth and he nodded his head at me in encouragement. Even though I wasn't sure why hanging out with Nessie and meeting her parents would make me feel better, I agreed. Nessie squealed and clapped her hands.

"Seth, can you come too? I'm sure Mom and Daddy would love for you to visit," Nessie pleaded.

"Sure thing!" he said enthusiastically. "There's no way they were getting out of here without seeing me." He looked at me, "Edward and Bella are really cool. You'll like 'em."

*****

I was standing in the middle of the forest again. The setting in my dream was similar to the previous ones. I was there alone with my beautiful Seth. He was standing before me looking like, what I created in my mind, a Spirit Warrior. He smiled down at me with his black, smoldering eyes. I smiled back and walked towards him. Behind him I saw two red glowing eyes coming out of the trees. I tried to scream to warn Seth, but no sound would come out. I could feel my chest ache with tension and fear. I pointed behind him, but he just gave me a confused look. I was getting frustrated that he didn't understand my gestures. I could feel my upper teeth biting on my bottom lip as I mouthed the word "vampire." Seth finally understood what I was saying. He immediately ripped his body into wolf form and leaped backwards towards the pale figure with the red eyes. I let out another silent scream and dropped to the ground sobbing.

"Tala, honey, wake up." Seth's soothing voice jolted me out of my nightmare. I was still sobbing and breathing erratically. I could feel my eyes were wet with tears. I looked up at Seth and I felt my worry melt away.

I put my hands on his cheeks and started planting kisses all over his face. "You're ok," I sighed between kisses.

"It was just a dream," Seth said as he wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not now. I'll feel better in a minute," I whispered and cuddled back into my spooning position next to Seth on my temporary bed on the living room floor. I really needed to get my bed and my other belongings from my apartment. The couch cushions on the floor, wasn't much of a bed. I felt bad, but Seth insisted he could sleep anywhere and be comfortable. As long as he was with me, I was comfy too.

I was glad I asked Seth to stay the night with me after the Tribal meeting. His presence made me calm down quicker than I would have on my own. I kept thinking about the vampires and stayed awake most of the night asking him a lot of questions. He told me about a couple of encounters with one or two, but he didn't go into detail. I'm sure he didn't want me to be more scared than I already was. He told me that a vampire showing up around that area was rare and tried to assure me that the wolves were built to handle those situations.

Since I was awake, I started to think about vampires all over again. I've never been a fan of horror movies and I have always been one to scare easily. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get over my fear. I was afraid of what this knowledge was going to do to my psyche. I started to shiver.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" Seth asked as he tried to soothe me. "You really shouldn't worry about it. I'll keep you safe."

"I know you will, but you can't be there every minute of the day!"

Seth sighed. "Think of it this way, your chance of being killed by a bloodsucker is pretty much the same as dying in a plane crash or getting trampled by an elephant. Does it happen? Yes. Are they freak accidents? Yes."

I just turned and looked at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Why are you so laid-back about this?"

"Because it's been a part of my world for about five years now. And besides, they're not all bad."

"They are the reason your wolf-self exists. If it is a rare, freak chance that I will be killed, then why are there so many of you in one area?" I suddenly absorbed the last bit of information he said, "Wait a minute…_they're not all bad?_"

Seth gave me a sheepish smile. "I may know some nice ones." I didn't know what to say. I just gave him a blank look. "Not all of them eat human blood. You've already met one."

"Who?!" I gasped.

"Well, technically, she's half human and half vampire…Renesmee."

"Nessie?" I almost shouted. I thought about Old Quil's description. "But she's not cold. She doesn't have red eyes."

"That's what being a half breed did to her, I guess. She's almost as warm as us wolves and she's just as strong. Look, she wanted to tell you herself, but with the way you've been taking the news lately, I figured I had better warn you." I nodded my head in agreement. It probably was better that I heard it from Seth.

"Wow," was all I could say. I laid there in silence for a few minutes while Seth stroked my hair. "Who else?"

"Her parents, Edward and Bella, and the rest of the Cullens. They are all full vampires," he said quietly. "But they're not _that_ kind of vampire. I'll let Ness tell you about them."

"I'm supposed to meet them tomorrow," I looked at Seth anxiously.

"Tala, you trust me right?" he gave me my smile.

"Yes, of course," I replied quietly.

"I would never put you in harm's way. You are my life. I would do anything to keep you safe," he kissed my forehead; "you know that, right?"

I nodded and gave him a small smile.

"You will be just as safe with Nessie as you are with me. She's one tough little girl," he chuckled. "She's Jake's imprint. She's the main reason we have an alliance with the Cullens. Besides, I'll be with you when you meet the Cullens." He gave me a sweet kiss on my bottom lip.

"Ok." I returned a smooch.

"Do you feel better?" he asked cocking an eyebrow in an attempt to make me laugh.

I gave him a small sniff of a laugh, "A little. I'm still in shock I think."

"I promise it will be ok." He pulled me closer for a hug. "Now get some sleep."

I did feel a lot better and felt my body relax. I was still slightly nervous about meeting the Cullens, but I trusted Seth's judgment. If he could be friends with his mortal enemies, then I could too. I just hope I didn't make an ass out of myself.

* * *

**Can anyone tell me what joke/remark Sam made about Quil during the tribal meeting? When I wrote that part I actually had Eclipse out and open to that Third Wife story. I read it word for word trying to summarize the story without re-writing the whole thing. **

**Next up, hanging out with Nessie and the return of Tala's "gift"! **

**Hopefully I'll come back from Florida with a lot of reviews! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm back from Florida and the weather was awesome! We got out of there just in time to miss Hurricane Ida! whew.**

**No more fainting for Tala, I promise! She has been introduced to all the scary stuff so she's gonna be just fine.**

**And now for Nessie and Tala's shopping trip...**

* * *

Chapter 13

The next day was a typical dreary day in Washington. The clouds were thick in the sky and there was a slight dampness in the air. My mom woke us up early in the morning with the smell of eggs, bacon, pancakes and coffee. She rarely cooked breakfast, but since Seth was there she went all out.

"Oh thanks Anna!" Seth gave my Mom a kiss on the cheek and sat in front of his mound of pancakes. I sat there with my hands wrapped around my coffee cup and watched him devour his breakfast.

Seth looked down at my plate of eggs and bacon that were barely touched. "Aren't you going to eat something?" I picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled on it. "You're so dainty," he said as he scooped a whole fried egg in his mouth.

"Compared to you, yeah!" I teased. He just chuckled in response.

"What do you have planned with Nessie?" he asked.

"She said something about the mall since the weather wouldn't be good enough for the beach,"

"Uh-oh," Seth replied.

"What?" I asked nervously. Should I not go shopping with a half-vampire? Seth noticed my slight tension and snorted a laugh.

"Relax, I just meant that Nessie is quite the shopper. She gets it from her aunt. I hope you're prepared to literally shop-'til-you-drop," he chuckled.

"Oh. I think I'll be ok. I can usually shop with the best of them," I replied.

"You'll need new clothes if you get a job," my mother chimed in. She was so quiet flitting around kitchen I almost forgot she was there. I'm glad I didn't mention the vampire information out loud.

Seth smiled at my mom's comment remembering what I told him the night before about sticking around here. He grabbed my hand and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

"Mmmm…you smell like maple syrup," I gave him a huge grin.

Before Seth left for work he, once again, assured me that I would be fine. We planned it out so that he and Jacob would meet us at Seth's house and all go to the Cullen's house together. I was feeling a lot better with the idea of meeting vampires. I met Nessie and she seemed great. I knew the pack wouldn't let her anywhere near people if they thought she was dangerous. Jacob lived with the Cullens so they had to be safe as well. It was just so surreal that I was going to meet creatures that I never knew existed.

*******

After dropping my mother off at work, I took the short drive into Forks. Nessie had spent the night with her Grandpa Charlie, the Chief of Police, and I told her I would pick her up since she didn't have a driver's license yet. She gave me directions and it was easy to find because of the police cruiser still sitting in the drive way.

I parked in front of the house and turned off the car. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _Just get over it already!_ I thought to myself. _You're going to have fun hanging out with an energetic immortal creature today._ I walked up the door and before I could knock, Nessie answered it.

"Hi Tala!" she practically shrieked and gave me a hug. My body stiffened a little. She noticed and pulled away from me, still holding my shoulders, and gave me a pouty look. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Seth told you, didn't he?" she asked still pouting and dropped her arms from me to her sides.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm glad he did. I haven't been taking all the news very well lately and I wouldn't want you to have to deal with me," I chuckled, mocking myself.

"It's ok. I promise you can ask me anything today and I'll try to make you feel better," she said as she stepped aside and gestured for me to come into the house, "just don't say the 'v' word around my grandpa."

I nodded and walked in. I noticed a man sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and reading the newspaper. He had the same big brown eyes as Nessie and looked too young to be a grandpa of a teenager. He was dressed in his police uniform. Chief Swan.

"Grandpa, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the pack," Nessie said in her animated voice.

"You must be Tala," he said extending out a hand. I grabbed it and shook it. He was definitely human. He seemed to have the body temperature I was accustomed to. "I feel like I already know you. Seth wouldn't shut up about you the last time I saw him." Nessie giggled. I blushed and gave him a smile as I wondered what Seth could have possibly said about me. "Don't worry," Chief Swan continued, "he said all good things."

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you," I said shyly.

"Nessie made me a wonderful breakfast, would you like some? She must be used to cooking for Jake, because there's a ton," he pointed over at the counter. I noticed an array of breakfast foods. I laughed knowing the appetite of a werewolf.

"No thanks, my mom cooked for Seth this morning. I'm all set," I patted my stomach. Charlie chuckled and mumbled something inaudible which made Nessie giggle.

"Oh grandpa, you can freeze most of it and save it for when Mom and I aren't here to cook for you."

Charlie sat up from his spot at the table and grabbed his gun belt. "Thanks sweetie," he said and kissed her cheek. He then lightly patted me on the back and said, "Good luck shopping with her today. She's quite the maniac." He gave me a sympathized look.

"So I've heard," I muttered. Nessie gave us a maniacal laugh which made us both laugh.

After Nessie cleaned up the kitchen and packed up future breakfasts for Charlie, we were headed out the door. On the car ride to Port Angeles I decided I was going to take advantage of Nessie's offer and started to drill her with questions. She said it was only fair since she got a lot of information out of me the night before. As promised, she answered every question. I found out that she ate both human food and animal blood. Her favorite human food was sausage lasagna and her favorite animal was cougar (that was her father's favorite as well). The only time she fed on human blood was when she was a baby and the blood was donated. She also enthusiastically added that the human blood tasted much better. That comment made me shudder. She gave me a sheepish smile and apologized for giving me too much information.

Except for Jacob and Charlie, everyone in Nessie's family is a vampire, but her mom only recently became one. I gave her an incredulous look when she said that, but Nessie promised she would tell me that story later since I was only suppose to ask questions about herself. I agreed to that.

I found out that Nessie liked a variety of music from Classical to Hard Rock (since that was Jacob's favorite). Her father taught her how to play the piano and she had composed three pieces herself. She loves to shop with her Aunt Alice, work on cars with her Aunt Rose and Jacob, wrestle with her Uncle Emmett, and take history lessons from her Uncle Jasper. Her Grandmother Esme teaches her how to cook and her Grandfather Carlisle covers any other subject that isn't covered by the rest of the family. Nessie sounded like a pretty well rounded kid.

"Do you do anything special with your mom?" I asked.

"She and I are a lot alike. We both like to read classic novels in a quiet spot. We both like to just quietly sit with each other and hang out. We talk about everything. She's like my best friend…besides Jacob," Nessie explained. "She and my dad are both working on their degrees in Literature and I'm studying with them. I'm not technically a student since I look too young to enroll, but my mom and I study together," Nessie said.

"You're father doesn't study with you?"

"No, he doesn't have to. He already has a couple of degrees in Literature from other colleges and his vampire brain retains every bit of information he's ever learned."

"Then why does he still go?" I asked with a scowl on my face. I couldn't imagine repeating another four years of college if I didn't have to.

"It's something for him to do to break up the day," she shrugged. "Plus, he and my mom are inseparable." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on now, it can't be much different than imprinting."

"Yeah, but it's different with Jacob and me. He's my best friend. I'm not _in love_ with him and all touchy feely all the time!" she said in disgust.

I gave her a smile and a nod. _That soon will change little girl._ I thought to myself.

We wandered through the mall visiting every store that had any type of shoe, clothing, or jewelry. Nessie not only shopped for herself, she shopped for Jacob, her parents, and everyone else in the family. She knew their sizes, tastes, and styles. Nessie even had a little platinum credit card to take care of the charges. She even picked out a cute sundress for me that I normally wouldn't have picked out for myself. I shouldn't have taken the warnings from others lightly. I was exhausted within an hour.

"Can we please take a break and grab a smoothie or something?" I groaned as I dragged myself up to the make-up counter at the department store. I had two heavy shopping bags dangling from each arm. I dropped them on the floor and perched myself on the stool next to Nessie. She pulled her attention away from the perfume she was sampling to look at my slumped body.

"Of course we can! I told you I could carry those bags. They're mostly mine anyway. Remember," she looked around to see if anyone was listening, "half vampire," she whispered and flashed one of her tiny arm muscles.

"I'm not going to walk around this mall making you carry everything. You'll look like my pre-teen slave or something."

Nessie laughed loudly and drew some startled stares from shoppers. "Oops," she said shyly. "Will you please hand me that perfume bottle with the pink octagon top over there?" She pointed in the direction to my left.

I followed her line of vision and groaned when I realized how far away the bottle was. It would take more effort than I wanted to give at that moment to obtain it. I stretched out my arm determined to reach it without getting out of my seat. I was only a couple of inches from it when my ability kicked in. The bottle jumped the short distance into my hand. I quickly looked over at Nessie to see if she had noticed. She was staring at me with a surprised look on her face.

"Here you go," I said as I handed it to her trying to pretend nothing happened.

"Thanks," she said with her eyes narrowed and took the bottle from me.

******

It was amazing how much food one small person could consume. Nessie didn't have quite the appetite the wolves had, but she held her own.

"How many cougars do you consume in one sitting?" I teased while gaping at her heaping plate of fries.

"Ha. Ha," she gave me a sarcastic laugh. "I don't eat cougar every time I hunt. It's usually deer. There are way more deer out there. A cougar is a special treat," Nessie said with a wink.

"I cannot picture you taking down a cougar…or a deer, for that matter," I said shaking my head.

"I was one year old the first time I drank from a cougar. I thought Jake was going to have a heart attack," she giggled. Did I just hear her correctly?

"One!?" I gasped. I couldn't wrap my mind around a little girl, barely able to walk, stalking a large cat.

"Did Seth tell you how old I am?" she asked casually.

"No," I answered. It sounded like she was dodging the subject.

"Physically, biologically, I'm about fifteen or sixteen maybe. According to the calendar…" she hesitated, gauging my reaction. It looked like she wasn't sure how I would take the news. She must have thought it was ok to continue. She answered, "I'm five. I aged rapidly and I still have about two more years of growth from what my grandfather has researched. So technically, I was the size of a three-year old when I had my first cougar."

I didn't say anything. I just stared at Renesemee wondering if she was pulling my leg.

"You're not going to faint are you?" she asked with worry in her tone.

"No. I'm ok," I said calmly. It wasn't the strangest thing I've heard lately. "It's not like you're revealing that you have a super power or anything," I gave a nervous laugh once I realized what I said. Of course she just revealed that she could take down a large predator which seemed like a super power to me. I also remembered the surprised look I received from Nessie when the perfume bottle moved across the makeup counter. I didn't _think_ she noticed my "super power."

"Tala, would you please hand me the salt shaker?" Nessie asked sweetly.

"Sure," I went to grab for the one on my side of the table.

"No, that one's empty, I already tried it. How about that one from the other table?" Nessie gave me a smug smile. She _did_ notice the incident at the makeup counter.

"Sure," I said again through my clenched teeth as I smiled back. I started to skid my chair back away from the table when Nessie grabbed my arm gently.

"Get it from here…please," she gave me a small smile.

I inhaled a small gasp. "Ness, I don't know what…" I started to say, but she interrupted me.

"I saw what you can do Tala," she tapped her cheek high up by her eye and then whispered, "Vampire vision. I don't miss a thing."

I didn't know what to say. I hadn't told anyone about my new found ability and I wasn't sure I wanted to share. It's not like I was embarrassed, but I didn't want people to think I was crazy.

Nessie broke the silence, "You show me yours, I'll show you mine," she said with a big grin that showed her perfect white teeth. They suddenly looked a little intimidating after our conversation moments ago about hunting.

"You…can do…that?" I asked hesitantly.

Nessie giggled, "No, mine is a little more subtle." I continued to stare at her in disbelief. "You go first," she gestured to the salt shaker.

I glanced around the food court. The mall was pretty quiet. It was past lunch time so the nine-to-fivers already made their way back to their offices.

"Go ahead. No one is looking," Nessie urged.

"Ok." I had suddenly become daring and I felt a little relieved that someone, other than me, would witness this. I felt a little less crazy. Just to make sure, I scanned the area one more time for witnesses. Nessie gave me an excited giggle. I stretched out my arm towards the salt shaker on the next table and concentrated on moving it towards me. As if it was pulled along by a string, the salt shaker slid along the table it was on, hopped the gap between the tables and slid into my hand. My body reacted with a woosh of air escaping my lungs. I felt a little bit of energy leave my body.

Nessie squealed clapping her hands. "That was sweet! Does Seth know?"

"No!" I gasped. "I don't want him to know."

"Why not?" She looked disappointed. Her excited face was replaced with a pouty look. "I betcha he would think it was cool."

"I don't want him to think I was a freak or something?" I muttered and sucked my smoothie up the straw. I looked up from my cup at Nessie. She was giving me a disbelieving look.

"After everything you've learned lately, you think he will think you are a _freak_? No way!" she shook her head.

"You don't think so? I don't want him to run away or be scared of me. I wouldn't know what I would do if…"

Nessie interrupted. "Tala, listen, do you know why Seth has always loved being a wolf?" she asked. I nodded because I've had this conversation with him before.

"He likes the speed and the strength. He likes the brotherhood. He likes that he has a purpose in life." I paused, remembering one thing in particular that Seth told me. It was the one thing I was sure Nessie wanted me to say out loud. I looked up at Nessie and smiled. "He said he thought it was cool that he wasn't normal." I laughed softly. I had thought that comment was funny when Seth said it. He wasn't a normal guy, and that was one of my favorite things about him. Nessie nodded slowly with a self-satisfied smile across her face. I laughed at her again.

"Ok. Ok. I'll tell him," I gave in and promised.

"Good," she said, "I think you'll be surprised." I suddenly remembered Nessie's end of the deal.

"Ok, now you show me yours," I gave her a smug look back.

Nessie looked worried. "This will be a little weird for you at first and I'm worried about your fainting problem."

"Does it involve changing shapes or sucking blood?"

"No!" she still looked at me carefully. "It's more of a mental thing."

"I think I'll be alright." I was positive I would be as long as it wasn't anything physically graphic.

"What do you want to see?" Nessie asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Scratch that. I'm going to touch your face. Don't be afraid." Nessie reached her hand towards me and hesitated only an inch before touching me, waiting for my ok.

"Ok," I whispered. As soon as her hand touched me, it was as if my own vision was a ghostly back ground and another image, like a movie, was playing over top of it. Everything looked jumbled together and I couldn't understand what was happening. I rapidly blinked my eyes trying to clear up my vision.

"Close your eyes," Nessie directed.

Once I did, the movie image became clearer. I gasped a little when I realized what was happening. I could see myself and I knew it was from Nessie's point of view because I watched as a salt shaker came across the table to my hand. The scene from two minutes ago replayed in my head. Along with it came a feeling of awe and excitement. I felt Nessie's hand leave my face and the image was gone.

I opened my eyes. "What was that?" I asked with wonderment in my voice.

"That," Nessie said proudly, "was _my_ ability."

"Wow," I said softly in awe. "That was amazing. How do you do that?"

"I don't know. I've been able to do it since birth." Nessie asked again, "What do you want to see? It can only be something I've seen or felt personally."

A small smile crept across my face and I whispered, "Seth."

* * *

**That seemed short. Sorry :( But it was actually one of my longer chapters! :) What do you think? More Tala powers coming up and she will finally meet the Cullens (well...just Bella and Edward). **


	14. Chapter 14

****

Thanks for the nice reviews everyone! As I always say, they make me smile :)

**And yes, Nessie is aware that she is Jacob's imprint. I've read other stories where they don't let her know until her awkward hormones start taking over and things get complicated. Nessie is a smart girl. She knows that Jacob's going to be around forever in all sorts of roles in her life. Currently, she's too young to have those romantic feelings yet. She just knows she needs to be with him or it's just not right.**

* * *

Chapter 14

With her hands on my face, Nessie showed me a picture of a Seth as a large, gangly teenage boy with large dark eyes cooing and smiling at her as she giggled with delight. Then she showed me a sandy-brown wolf jumping in front of Jacob, who was in human form. The wolf was blocking Jacob from a petite pale-white girl with long dark hair wearing a man's button-up shirt. She took Seth down with a crunch. I gasped at the scene and I could feel Nessie's anxiety. After that she showed me a happy vision of Seth in wolf form racing Nessie through the woods. She must have been small, because the wolf towered over her, but she was keeping up with him easily. The scene shifted to Seth talking about me to Nessie and Jacob. His eyes twinkled and his smile gleamed as he said "I love her." The last vision was Nessie's view of how she saw Seth and me together. We were both wearing huge grins and had our arms around each other. Every time Seth looked at me I would blush. I didn't realize I blushed that often. We looked like a couple in love. Nessie removed her hand. I could feel a single happy tear roll down my cheek.

"The first vision was the first time I met Seth. The second was when my mom found out Jacob imprinted on me…she was pissed," she giggled, "Seth got in the way, but he healed quickly," she assured me. "Mom felt so bad. If she would have bit him it would have been fatal. And toward the end there…what he said…I may have revealed a little too much. I'm sorry," she smiled sheepishly.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "That's alright. It was nice to see." We hadn't exactly said those words to each other, but I knew it to be true. Now, I wouldn't be such a coward the next time I had that overwhelming feeling to say those words to him.

"What time is it?" I looked around the food court to find a clock. Nessie looked at me and smiled. Being a fellow member of the imprint club, she knew why I was asking.

"Yep, me too. I've been away from Jacob for too long. Let's get out of here." Nessie grabbed her arm loads of bags and I followed her out of the mall.

*******

As soon as we walked into Seth's house, Nessie breezed by Seth on her way towards Jacob and gently touched his face. His eyes widened with excitement as he marched over towards me.

"She showed you what she can do?" he asked as he pulled me in for a light kiss. "And you didn't faint?"

I tilted my head to the side and gave him a mock glare. "No, I didn't." I softened my expression. "It was pretty cool actually."

"What did she show you?" he asked excitedly.

"She showed me the first time she met you and her mom taking you down when you were protecting Jacob from her," there was a giggle and a loud guffaw from the other two in the room.

"Yeah, that hurt like hell," Seth said rubbing his shoulder. I kissed it as far up as I could reach.

"And some other stuff that we can talk about later."

"Oh really," Seth said as he glanced over in Nessie's direction. She pretended she didn't see his stare while she sifted through the bags I carried in.

*****

We drove separately from Jake and Nessie and I took advantage of the time alone to ask Seth a bunch of questions before entering the house of vampires. I didn't want to ask Nessie these questions in fear I would offend her.

"Should I be careful around Bella? She seemed a little frightening in Nessie's vision?"

Seth laughed, "No, Bella's harmless. What Nessie showed you was the _only_ time Bella has _ever _hurt anyone. She was going after Jake and I stepped in to save him. He was pushing her limits. She was a newborn vampire at the time and, believe it or not, she handled herself really well. Besides," he continued, "if she did ever hurt anyone, she would torture herself over it for decades." He looked over at me with a reassuring smile.

"What about Edward? Anything I should know about him? Is he as harmless?"

"I think he's like 112 years old. He's had a lot of practice at being harmless. He's a pretty cool guy," Seth patted my hand. "Oh yeah I almost forgot," he gave me a timid look and slowly said, "He can read your mind."

My jaw dropped and I let out a little gasp. After all I've learned, I would think I wouldn't be surprised anymore. "Well, that's embarrassing," I muttered to myself.

"What do you have to be embarrassed about?" Seth asked with a smile.

"Oh, I don't know," I looked down and blushed as I played with the zipper on my purse. "Maybe all the thoughts I have about you when you're near me."

"Oh…that. Your heartbeat and your breathing give you away there. I don't need to read your mind to know what you're thinking," he said in his husky voice that makes my insides turn into a gelatinous mess. I could feel my heart start to pound in my chest. "See…there you go," he perked up his tone. "I can only guess what you are thinking now."

"You're bad," I groaned as my cheeks burned.

"No, but I can be Tala," he returned to his seductive tone. My mind started to wander again, but I cut my thoughts short.

"Stop that!" I giggled as I swatted at Seth playfully. "I'm going to give Edward an earful if we don't get my mind out of the gutter." Seth's laughter filled the truck as we made the trek up the winding drive way to the Cullen house.

_Kittens. Kittens playing with a ball of yarn._ I was trying my darndest to keep naughty thoughts of Seth out of my head as we all headed up the porch steps. I also didn't want the Cullens to know I was still a little frightened to meet them. _Puppies hopping around and gnawing on bones. Puppies…dogs…wolves…Seth standing in the woods bare-chested with his shorts riding low on his hips…_"dammit!"

"What?" Seth asked. I didn't realize I swore out loud.

"I'm just trying to clear my mind," I whispered which I knew was pointless with the werewolf and half-vampire ears walking in front of us.

"Don't even bother. If he hears something he doesn't let on," Seth laughed. "It will be ok."

"My dad's good at minding his own business for the most part," Nessie added.

Nessie opened the door and we all walked in. The house had a sweet pleasant scent and I inhaled deeply. I looked over at Seth. His face was scrunched up and nostrils were flared. "You guys have to visit more often. I need to get desensitized to that smell," he said to Nessie and Jake.

"Just when I thought I was used to Jake's scent, in walks another wolf to double the stench," a wind chime of a voice appeared out of nowhere.

"Bella!" Seth said softly grabbing a pale figure in for a hug. When they pulled away from each other I was able to get a good look at her. Bella was about my height, but much more petite in her features. Her skin was a creamy pale-white and flawless. Her thick brown hair hung down beyond her shoulders. Her eyes were a golden brown and were accented by thick, black eyelashes that brushed her cheeks when she looked down. Bella didn't look old enough to be Nessie's mother, but more like her slightly older teenage sister. She rubbed Seth's shoulder with one hand, obviously remembering his injury, and gave him an apologizing look. I watched in admiration as she and Seth spoke briefly before she introduced herself me.

Bella turned to me and held out her hand, "You must be Seth's Tala. It's nice to finally meet you." I extended my hand for a handshake and, even though I was forewarned, I gasped a little at her ice-cold touch. Old Quil's description was true. She was cold as ice and hard as granite.

I instantly gave her an apologizing smile. "I'm so glad to meet you as well. Seth speaks kindly of you and your family," I instantly felt stupid for saying that. That's a normal thing to say, but in the presence of vampires it was like saying 'Seth says you're not dangerous.' I heard a soft chuckle from my other side. I turned to see another breathtaking, pale-white teenager with messy, bronze-colored hair standing beside me. His eyes were the same color as Bella's. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, but he was far enough away that I wasn't intimidated. I suddenly remembered what Seth had told me about Edward. _Crap, he heard the 'not dangerous' comment._

"I see Seth told you about my ability," Edward said as he extended his hand. His voice was just as beautiful as Bella's, but more masculine. "I'm Edward. Don't worry; I'll try my best to block your thoughts." He gave me a warm smile and slightly tilted his head. He glanced over at Seth and Bella talking and very softly said, "And if you would like to work on your ability, I would be willing to help." My head snapped in Nessie's direction and I glared at her. I hadn't thought a single thought about that matter, so she must have told him.

Nessie gave me an apologizing look, silently pointed to Edward, and then gestured like she was picking things from her head.

"Yes she did, but she didn't mean to. I won't say anything to anyone else." Edward kept his voice low.

I gave him a nervous smile and whispered, "Thank you." Edward gave me a slight nod.

"What are you two talking about over here?" Seth was suddenly by my side eyeing me suspiciously.

I gave him a big smile. "Nothing. I'll tell you about it later." Seth's eyebrows perked up and he glanced over towards Edward. Edward held up his hands gesturing he wasn't going to say a word.

"Come on you guys, I made you dinner," Bella's voice chimed, summoning us to the dining room.

Dinner was wonderful. Bella was a great cook. She made us lasagna with homemade bread sticks and a wonderful Caesar salad. Of course, she made enough for a small army since the two big guys in our group could devour a whole pan of lasagna each. Other than the fact that Edward and Bella didn't eat or drink anything during dinner, it was as if everything and everyone was normal. It was as if the whole mystical world of legends, vampires versus werewolves, didn't exist. The conversation was easy and it felt as though I had known each one of those people for years.

The Cullens filled us in on the rest of the family. Although I heard most of it from Nessie earlier in the day, it was fun to see Seth's excitement when they filled him in. I could tell he truly was interested and cared about each member of their family. They also notified us that they were going to move soon from their current location in Alaska to another residence in Canada. Nessie was teaching Jacob French.

"I sound like a dork," Jacob groaned. "I don't sound all elegant and pretty like you do when you speak French," he told Nessie.

"I think it's cute. I'll at least teach you how to say your favorite foods," Nessie teased.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Jacob said with a mouthful of cheesy pasta.

"What about you, Tala? Have you traveled much?" Bella asked from across the table.

"No. I went to school in Seattle and that's about it. I haven't been out of Washington since I was a kid," for some reason I felt embarrassed by my lack of travels in the presence of world travelers.

"Seth will have to bring you up to Canada for a visit then," Edward smiled kindly. "It's similar to Washington's climate but the wild life is remarkably different. I think you would enjoy it."

"Thanks," I looked at Seth and he was nodding enthusiastically.

"Geez Seth, it's not like we haven't invited you many times before," Bella laughed at him.

"Well, I didn't want to come by myself and be the third, well actually, the eleventh wheel," he said bashfully looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Now I won't be." His bashful look made me melt and I felt a warm smile cross my face.

"Seth's gotta girlfriend," Jacob chanted softly. "Ouch Ness!" I looked over and Nessie was throwing bread and Jake.

"Renesemee, please, we have company," Edward said calmly in a fatherly tone with a smirk on his face. Bella giggled beside him.

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**Sorry - this is was an awkward place to stop, but if I continued the chapter would've been twice as long (I know there are a couple of you who would have like that). So...if you review and tell me what you think, maybe I'll post in another two days or so!**


	15. Chapter 15

**This is a tad early, I know. But in about 13.5 hours I'll be watching New Moon so I had to celebrate! I'll be at the 12:01 a.m. showing here in my home town. I can't wait to see all the crazies.**

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Chapter 15

After dinner Jacob and Seth offered to help Bella clean up, which left me alone with Nessie and Edward. I wasn't afraid for my safety, but I was afraid of my thoughts. I just had to get over it.

Earlier Edward offered to help me with my ability, but I wasn't sure what he could do for me. Other than making myself tired, I don't think it was harming my body or brain in any way. It didn't start happening until after the accident so I just assumed some wiring up in my head was knocked out of place.

I sat on the piano bench next to Nessie while she performed a piece she wrote. Edward joined us near the piano leaning up against it on Nessie's side. I could tell he was purposely keeping his distance to try to help me feel more comfortable.

"May I ask you about your ability, Tala?" Edward's eyes were furrowed showing genuine interest. Nessie immediately stopped playing and turned to me with an excited grin.

"Sure, what do you want to know?" I asked nervously. Revealing it to an excited Nessie and talking about it seriously were two different ideas.

"It's ok if you would rather not talk about it," Edward smiled, "but if you would like to, I'm sure Nessie will be just as excited the second time around." He had obviously picked through my thoughts.

I looked at Nessie who quickly started to clap her hands in front of her begging me with her eyes to entertain her. "Please show him," she pleaded.

I laughed at her. "Alright, your monkey will perform for you Ness," I told her. She squealed. I rolled my eyes and glanced nervously towards the kitchen.

"They are in a deep conversation about the good old days," Edward referred to Seth and the others, "I'll warn you if they are on their way," he assured me.

I looked around the room for something to move, but the house was so simply decorated there wasn't much to choose from. Everything was too big or looked way too expensive to mess with.

"What about Renesemee?" Edward asked. I looked up at him, not sure what he was asking. "I mean, why don't you move Nessie?"

"I've only moved smaller objects and an ottoman." My mind suddenly replayed the events when Matt came to visit me at my mom's house and I prevented him from attacking Seth. Edward's stone features looked shocked.

"Do it again," Edward urged. Nessie darted her eyes between us aware of our silent exchange. Her face was eager, urging me to try it.

"I was scared for Seth," I rushed out an explanation, "I didn't know what Matt was going to do him."

"Do you need to be provoked?" Edward asked calmly.

"No, I don't think so, but it may help." I was excited to try this and being around other people with extra abilities made me feel more comfortable. But, I didn't want to hurt anyone.

"Renesemee can provoke you," Edward said seriously.

"Oh please," I laughed and looked over at the sweet, innocent little girl sitting next to me.

"Would you rather I do it?" Edward gave me a crooked smile that looked a little evil.

"No!" I instantly replied with a little too much terror in my voice. "Sorry," I smiled sheepishly.

"Ok then, Renesemee, approach her," Edward said while taking a stance that made him look like he was coaching a football team.

Nessie jumped up excitedly and skipped across the room. "This will be fun! Remember, you can't hurt me." As an afterthought she added, "And please don't faint." I laughed nervously.

Before I was ready I heard a low growl come from Nessie's chest. The perky little teenager with the beautiful, innocent face contorted into a threatening, menacing creature. I gasped with a start. I stood up from the piano bench to brace myself. Nessie slowly started to walk towards me and I got the sense that she was truly dangerous. I looked over at her father. Edward was calmly watching the display with his arms crossed and his brows pulled together. He was waiting patiently for my reaction.

My eyes darted back to Nessie and noticed she had quickly closed the gap between us. Her closeness startled me and I felt my body push out its energy towards her. Nessie flew back about ten feet and landed on her bottom.

I looked down at Nessie on the floor and threw my hands to my mouth, "Ness, I'm so sorry!"

"That was sweet! I wish Emmett were here, he would love that!" Nessie said through her giggles. In one quick, fluid motion she was standing up again and ran over to me for a hug. My legs felt weak and I stumbled a little bit.

"Are you ok? Are you fainting?" Nessie asked as she helped me sit down.

"No, but doing that makes me a little tired afterwards," I replied. I looked over at Edward. He sat down next to me with a curious look still on his face.

"Do you feel light-headed?" Edward asked.

"No, it's like my energy drains out of my body in order to move something. The amount of energy depends on the size of the object. If it's a larger object, or if I move a lot of things, I usually need a nap to refuel," I tried to explain as simply as possible. "I'm not sure I can move another large object soon without passing out from exhaustion."

"Interesting. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to my father about this and ask if he's known anyone else with this ability. It's obviously some form of telekinesis. I can fill you in after I speak with him," Edward asked politely.

"That's fine. How would he know if there are others?" I asked.

"He may only know if it was another vampire. It's hard to tell with humans unless he came across one in the hospital and witnessed it for himself," he explained.

"Do all vampires have some sort of power?" I asked Edward.

"No, not all of them. Of course, you know Renesmee's and mine," he smiled. "My wife has a mental shield and my sister can predict the future to an extent. My brother can control emotions. There are a few others that we know of, but of course we don't know every existing vampire."

The idea of other vampires living amongst humans, ones who were not the same as the Cullens, made my head spin. I needed to lie down.

"Do you want to rest on the couch?" Edward asked with an understanding look. I nodded my head and carefully walked over to the couch to stretch out.

Seth, Bella, and Jacob walked in from the kitchen and noticed me positioning myself on the couch. Seth immediately ran over to me.

"Tala, are you ok? Is it your head?" He asked in a panic. Seth was constantly coddling me because of my recent head injury.

"No, I'm just a little tired and needed to rest."

"Did they tell you a story that made you faint?" he said with a more relaxed smirk on his face.

"I think I just used up my energy for the day," I said honestly. I knew it was time to fill Seth in on my telekinesis, but I didn't want to do it in front of an audience.

The remainder of the evening everyone decided to recite stories about Seth, much to his embarrassment. Unlike the innocent childhood stories I heard from his mother and sister, these stories were about battle and being a werewolf. They made me see Seth in a different light. Knowing how he could defend himself against almost-indestructible creatures and what he had done to save his friends; I had a new found admiration for him. Even though Seth acted uncomfortable over the praise, I could tell he was proud of what he was. He was never boastful; always modest.

This new found quality made me drawn to him even more. I caught my mind wandering into naughty thoughts a few times and instantly stopped. I felt self-centered thinking Edward was interested in only my thoughts, but I didn't want to be rude. Nessie was right, if he did hear anything, I could never tell.

Bella informed us that her father, Charlie, was planning on asking Seth's mom, Sue, to marry him. Bella went with Charlie to pick out a ring. Naturally, squeals of delight came from Nessie who instantly went around the room announcing how we would all be related to each other someday. I looked around the room and smiled. Even though my family would be filled with vampires and werewolves, it was expanding. It wasn't just my mom and me anymore. I assumed, because I was Seth's imprint, I would eventually marry him. If that's what I wanted. If he even asked me. Of course we hadn't talked about it yet.

"Seth, you will be mom's brother, which makes you my uncle!" she said with excitement. Then she gave me a devilish smile, "and you will be my new aunt."

"Uhh…" I didn't know what to say. I just looked down at my lap, embarrassed. I was just thinking the exact same thing, but hearing someone say it out loud made it seem surreal. I could almost feel the beam coming off Seth beside me.

Seth nudged me, "she knows how to embarrass you just as well as I can." I nodded with a smirk on my face, my eyes still in my lap.

It was getting late. The human, half-vampire, and werewolves needed some sleep. I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea of vampires never sleeping. They explained it as experiencing one long day. The thought made me exhausted.

Edward and Bella repeated their invitation for a visit once they moved to Canada. Seth and I assured them that we would visit them. We thanked the Cullens for their hospitality and made plans with Jacob and Nessie for our trip to Seattle. They both offered to help me move from my apartment to my mother's house. I wasn't going to pass up an offer for two more strong helping hands.

On the way back to La Push I thought about all the new information I discovered about Seth from others. It was information he was too bashful or humble to reveal to me. I thought about the way his battle stories and his protection of others brought on my new feelings of admiration towards him. I thought about the vision Nessie showed me earlier in the day. Through her eyes I saw Seth tell her he loved me. I also decided I wanted to show Seth my telekinesis ability.

I realized, at some point, I had unbuckled my seatbelt and shifted over towards Seth's side of the truck cab. My head was on his shoulder and my arms were clinging around his right arm. I felt the need to have him close to me, but I didn't feel I was close enough. I relaxed and moved away a little bit.

"Sorry," I chuckled softly, waiting for him to tease me about having to constantly touch him.

"That's ok, I almost have you home," he smiled. I looked out the windshield and noticed he was approaching the turn to my street.

"No! I don't want to go home," I told him.

"Tala, I can tell you're tired. I always keep you out too late. You need to get more sleep," he leaned down and kissed my scar.

I felt my face redden. I was thankful for the darkness in the car. I wasn't sure how Seth would react to what I was about to say. I needed to be with him and I didn't want him to take me home.

"I, uh, thought that maybe I could sleep at your house tonight." I looked up at his face through my eyelashes and bit my lip. I was nervous for his reaction and I was hoping I didn't have to explain myself.

Seth stopped the truck at the stop sign and looked down at me. I couldn't read his reaction. His face was smooth as he searched mine. I gave him a little smile and felt my face flush again. Then I saw a glint in his eye as he understood my meaning. He gave me a small smile. "Are you sure?"

I nodded and reached up to give him a long, deep kiss to back it up. He gently pushed me away and said, "Put your seat belt back on." My heart sank, but I did what he asked. I was about to apologize for being too forward too soon when Seth suddenly made a right hand turn, the opposite direction from my house, and raced down the road towards his house. My mood perked back up.

I pulled my phone out of my purse and called my mom. She answered with a shout. It sounded like she was at her weekly bridge game. There were a few women's voices cackling in the background.

"Mom, I'm not coming home tonight," I said hurriedly and braced myself for her reply.

"Alrighty then. Tell Seth I said hello. Love ya," and then my mom hung up. I slowly turned my head in Seth's direction with the mouth gaping open. Why had I been worried about what she thought this whole time?

"Told ya," Seth chuckled.

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**Oooohhh...what's gonna happen next? Tala will reveal her power to Seth and yes, they get it on, BUT I remember...I'm not a lemon writer. I'm telling you, I could probably do it, but I would be embarrassed as hell. So, hopefully what comes next will be ok :)**

**Can't wait to see some wolves tonight!!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I didn't have time to respond, but I figured you would rather have another chapter anyway! :)**

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POI Chapter 16

We pulled into the driveway and I waited in the truck as Seth came around to let me out, as he always did. When he opened the door I grabbed his hand and pulled him to me for a kiss. The truck seat was high enough off the ground where I could wrap my legs around Seth's waist and pull him closer to me. We remained in that position while kissing until we heard the front door of the house open. We both stopped and looked towards the house gasping for air.

Embry was scurrying out of the house with his keys in hand. He looked over at us, "I'm outta here. Seth, you better not be thinking about this later…she's my cousin!" Embry warned in disgust. He obviously would be patrolling in wolf form and sharing his mind with Seth later.

I inhaled a short gasp as I thought of that fact and turned my face back to Seth. Would everyone know about the things we were about to do? He must have noticed the concern on my face.

"I'll do my best to keep those thoughts to myself." He looked at me intently and I believed him. And then, I decided I didn't care if anything slipped through his mind. I wanted him now and I wasn't going to worry about what others' thought. I wrapped my arms around his neck and started kissing him again. Seth picked me up out of the truck, grabbed my bag, and kicked the door shut without disconnecting our lips.

Seth gracefully made his way up to the house and up the stairs to his room. He gently sat me down on his bed and pulled away from me. I gave him a small pout. He laughed and held up one finger. "Hold on a sec." Seth walked over to the dresser and started to rummage through his drawer.

I thought about taking this opportunity to toy with Seth and show him exactly what I could do with my ability. It was possible that we wouldn't finish what we had started, but I still wanted to try. After he found the little square package he was looking for, he turned around and started to walk towards me. I quickly concentrated and sent a small burst of energy towards Seth. He stopped short and then looked down at his chest in confusion. I giggled silently to myself. Seth shook off the feeling, determined to get back to me, and started walking towards me again. I sent another stronger spurt of energy towards his chest that made him stumble backwards. I had never seen Seth stumble. I gasped a little from the exertion.

"What the hell?" Seth mumbled and looked down at his chest again in bewilderment and then he circled around trying to find something that would have caused him to trip.

"What's wrong?" I asked trying not to smile and show genuine concern. Seth didn't buy it. He stood there in silence and tried to read my reaction. I couldn't hide my amusement any longer and gave him a huge grin and started giggling.

"What's going on? Are _you_ doing this?" He asked in amazement.

I nodded and waited for his response. He stayed in his spot on the bedroom floor, looking like he was afraid to move. I was beginning to wonder if telling him was a bad idea until I saw a mischievous grin creep across his face.

"That was you who pushed your ex-boyfriend away from me," Seth stated as he remembered. I slowly nodded my head. "I didn't touch him," Seth affirmed. I shook my head from side to side verifying his thoughts.

I decided I couldn't take the distance between us any longer. "Know what else I can do?" I asked. Seth's eyes got bigger and he shook his head. I took in a deep breath, knowing this may take a lot of my energy because of his size, and then let my mind pull Seth towards me. The force made him stumble over to the bed, push me over, and land on top of me on the bed.

I looked up at him to get his reaction. I was breathing heavy from the exertion. It seemed he was breathing heavy for a different reason.

"That was so hot," he panted before aggressively trailing kisses down my neck. It seems that my new found ability didn't freak Seth out. It actually had the opposite result.

"Yeah…we'll just talk about that later," I breathed, not wanting to interrupt him. Apparently he didn't want to discuss my actions at that moment. Seth had something else in mind.

Seth continued to trace a burning path of kisses over my body as he gently removed each layer of my clothing. He would stop after each article to appreciate, kiss, and touch whatever skin was hidden underneath. The look he gave me made me blush, but it wasn't from embarrassment. He made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman on earth and that was a feeling I was not used to. As soon as I was completely bare, in a move so quick I almost missed it, Seth was bare as well. Naturally, my hands reached out to touch and appreciate the part of Seth that I had yet to see. He gave me a smile and, once again, hovered over me.

Before he started to kiss me again, I stopped him. I needed to let him know my feelings before we went any further. I needed him to hear it before my words slipped out in the heat of passion.

"Seth," I whispered. I pushed his hair out of his eyes and suddenly I was nervous. I could feel happy tears start to fill my eyes. He looked at me with concern. After everything that we've said to one another and everything we knew, I was still scared to tell him. I was so happy at that moment and didn't want to ruin anything, but I needed him to know.

"We don't have to do this now," Seth said with a genuine smile on his face.

"No, it's not that. I _want_ to do this...so much," I said with a little too much lust in my voice. "It's just," I swallowed hard, "I love you." It came out as a whisper and my tears started to fall soaking my temples.

Seth's whole body relaxed with a sigh. He gave me his heart-warming smile and placed two sweet kisses on my lips. He lied down next to me on his side and then pulled me up on my side facing him. He stared at me for a moment, wiping the tears from my face.

"I love you more than anything," he said as he kissed my forehead.

******

The dream I usually had about Seth returned, but this time the night's activities replayed in my mind before Seth leaped away from me to attack his mortal enemy. The intensity of the evening spilled over into the dream and it was as if I was experiencing it all over again. I could feel how every move was as natural as breathing. I could feel how our bodies knew how to please each other without saying a word of instruction. I could feel my body respond to him and how it felt like he left a smoldering impressing wherever he touched me. The only difference was, in my dream, he left me a little too soon to protect me from that damn vampire! As usual, I woke with a gasp. My breathing labored from the excitement, both from our actions and the vampire attack. I turned around to find Seth and possibly continue my dream, but I was alone.

I was disappointed until I saw a note on his pillow. I smiled and lifted myself on my elbows to read his scratchy, but charming script.

Tala,

Stay where you are, how you are, and I'll be back by 9a.m. with coffee and donuts.

Love forever,

Seth

I let out a sigh after reading his words and peaked over at the clock. It was 8:38 a.m. I didn't have to wait too long for my Seth to return. I had plenty of time to freshen up.

Following Seth's instructions, I left his t-shirt on that I had worn to bed and sprinted across the hallway to the bathroom hoping to avoid my cousin or Quil. I hopped in the shower and freshened up as best I could without my usual morning toiletries.

As I was swishing toothpaste around my mouth trying to get rid of my raging morning breath, I heard a vehicle pull up the driveway and cut the engine. Assuming it was Seth I quickly finished with my mouth, sprinted back into Seth's room, and went back to my spot under the covers. As promised Seth waltzed in to his room at 9:00 a.m. sharp with coffee and donuts in hand.

"Good morning lover!" Seth greeted me enthusiastically. I giggled.

"Lover?" I said with a disapproving look. Seth smirked.

"No? Don't like that?" He asked as he crawled up on the bed and handed me my coffee. I smiled and shook my head slightly. He gave me a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Hmmm…how about schnookums?"

I shook my head and I sipped my coffee.

"Hot-stuff?"

"Ew."

"Wolf-fish?" he said with a smirk.

"Don't you dare," I sent him a mock-glare. Seth chuckled.

"Babes?"

I thought about it for a second. "Babes is ok I guess," I shrugged.

"I'll try it out. Babes, would you like a cinnamon roll or a long-john?" Seth asked as he pulled the donuts out of the bag.

"Long-john please! A donut isn't a donut unless it's slathered in chocolate and stuffed with custard," I said innocently. I looked up at Seth and he was gawking at me with a menacing sneer on his face. "Get your mind out of the gutter and hand me my donut please." I laughed and Seth chuckled in response.

"So Miss Superpowers, let's talk about your little trick you pulled on me last night," Seth said with a mouthful of his roll. "Why didn't you tell me? That's friggin' awesome!"

"I haven't been able to do it for very long. I think the wiring in my brain got scrambled up or something from the accident. The first time I did it was in the hospital," I recalled in my mind the cup of water moving towards me.

"Do you think you should have told your doctor about it? What if there's something wrong with you?" he asked me with a concern look.

"Relax, I feel fine. I only get a little tired after I move something. It's not a big deal. Besides, at the time I thought people would think I was crazy or something. Maybe do a bunch of experimental tests on me," I replied. "It was easier to talk to someone about it once I knew I wasn't the strangest thing that existed in this world."

"Who else knows?"

"Nessie and now Edward, because she told him accidently," I pointed to my forehead, indicating he read her mind. "Nessie actually witnessed me do it while we were shopping. Can't pull anything past her."

Seth was wide-eyed and amused while I filled him in on the few times I was able to move things with my mind. I told him about the library and the grocery store and how Nessie scared the crap out of me as we experimented in the Cullen's living room. His excitement and eagerness to know every little detail made me feel more comfortable with my ability. I actually felt proud that I had an unusual talent and I didn't feel so plain around my supernatural boyfriend.

"Nessie showed you her evil side!?" Seth laughed in shock after I recalled the incident at the Cullen's house the evening before.

"Man, that girl can be scary. One second she was sweet and innocent and then something just snapped," I shuttered at the thought of the beautiful, menacing face I saw right before I made her body fly across the room.

"Do you want to move some stuff right now?" Seth was animated and seemed eager to see my talent in action.

"No," I whined, "it makes me tired and I just woke up." I placed my coffee and the half eaten donut on the bedside table.

"Fine, maybe you could do a little when we move your stuff from Seattle?"

"What am I you're new form of entertainment?" I teased. Seth's eyes narrowed and a smirk crossed his face. I could instantly read his thoughts.

"Well yeah, if that's ok with you," he asked as he crawled under the covers with me. He put his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him.

"Of course," I said and placed a kiss on his broad nose. "You don't think I'm a freak?"

"Oh, you are pretty freaky," he said as he kissed my chest, "but in a good way."

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**What did you think? As I've mentioned many times, I'm not a lemons writer...reader, yes...writer, no. I tried to make it semi-romantic. How did you like Seth's reaction?**

**Oh yeah, and I saw New Moon and it was AMAZING! I liked it a lot. I think it helped that I went in knowing that it wouldn't be as good as the book, but it was pretty darn close. Chris Weitz did a wonderful job. Yeah, yeah, there wasn't enough Edward, but that's how it's suppose to be. When he was on screen he was too brood-y...but I still love him :) If you saw the movie, how did you like it?**


	17. Chapter 17

****

Thanks for all the reviews! I love them. Sorry I didn't reply to them all. I'm a little late posting this because I've started another story. It's about Embry. It's kind of a continuation of this story...kind of. If you are interested in reading it add me to your Author Alert and I'm sure it will pop up. But only after this story is over since it would be a bit of a spoiler.

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Chapter 17

As soon as the truck halted in the congestion of traffic, I knew my decision to move back to the peninsula was a good one. I already missed the fresh air and the towering green trees and simplicity of a small town. We had only been within Seattle's city limits for maybe ten minutes, but I already missed home. Home was now La Push with my mom, my new wolf pack family, and Seth. There was no way I was going to ask Seth to move back here. He had asked me once or twice if moving from the city was something I was sure I wanted to do. Both times he asked I had just whined about the inconvenience of not being able to walk a block to my favorite Chinese place for dinner or hopping in a cab for a ten minute drive to the movie theatre. I assured him that four years of going to school in Seattle had spoiled me with conveniences and I would gladly trade them for the homey feel of a small, close knit community any day.

We sat in the truck, not moving an inch, for several minutes. Car horns would blare every so often. The heat from the sun shining on the pavement and the metal of the cars started to warm up the cab of the truck. I could feel my anxiety level start to peak. As soon as I looked over at Seth, I calmed down immediately. He was adorable as he sang along with the artist on the radio. He was having a good time not allowing anything to bother him. It took a lot to annoy Seth and that was just one attribute of many I loved about him.

I reached over across the seat and played with the hair at the base of Seth's neck. When he turned his head to look at me I gave him a huge grin.

"What are you all smiley about?" he asked me.

"I'm just glad to be done with Seattle," I said lazily as I rested my head on the seat behind me. "Do you see Jacob and Nessie back there?"

Jacob and Renesemee drove another truck to help us move to avoid making multiple trips. Over the years I didn't accumulate too much. I only had some clothes and school books. I was always too busy to decorate my space with knick-knacks or pictures. My apartment was pretty bare. Luckily I had already started boxing some items up before graduation since I knew I wouldn't be in that apartment too much longer. Little did I know I was moving out of the city. Seth and I had made one short day trip the prior weekend to box up and bring home some clothes and other major items I needed until the big move. For this final trip, I would bring home everything else.

Seth looked in his rearview mirror and laughed. "Yep, they are a few rows back. Nessie looks impatient."

I looked back and found their truck, but couldn't see inside. I didn't have the keen werewolf eyesight. Just then my cell phone rang. I looked down at the caller ID.

"Hey Ness. Getting antsy?" I asked into the phone.

"Couldn't you just move everyone out of our way, you know, like Moses parting the Red Sea or something?" she asked in a gruff voice. I tried not to laugh at her. I knew it would just annoy her more.

"I don't think so, unless you want me to die from exhaustion."

"If you were a vampire, you could probably do it," she mumbled in reply. Seth growled next to me. "Oh tell him I was only kidding!" Nessie huffed and disconnected our call.

We finally made our way through the traffic to my place. With three strong supernatural beings and one telekinetic the move was quick and semi-effortless. I used my power several times to push or pull the doors open without using my hands. I also used it a couple times to move things out of the way when the guys were carrying larger items down the staircase. I didn't go overboard so I wouldn't tire easy or draw attention.

The final item left to move was my bed. Oh, how excited I was to get my bed back! The couch was starting to wear me down. I used that excuse a few times with my mother to stay over at Seth house. I pretended she was naïve. It made me feel better.

I insisted on buying everyone's dinner. It was the least I could do in return. Nessie and I decided we would walk down to the local pizzeria to pick up dinner while Jacob and Seth finished up. We walked into the warm building and placed the large order at the counter. The smells coming from the massive wood burning oven made my mouth water and my stomach grumble. I didn't realize how hungry I was until that moment. We were told we had to wait twenty minutes for the large order.

"Let's wait outside. That smell is killing me! I'm about to eat my arm," I told Nessie. She giggled and we made our way out the door to the busy sidewalk.

"Ooh, let's go over there!" Nessie said as she eyed a boutique across the street.

"We only have twenty minutes, you know," I said with a warning. This wasn't a shopping trip. "I'm starving and the guys will be waiting for us."

"Oh, please," Nessie said as she rolled her eyes. "You've seen what I can do in a whole mall in an hour. This is one little boutique. I think I can handle it in twenty minutes."

We made our way towards the cross walk at the light. The street was way too busy to jaywalk. Right before we got to the corner, a young girl walked in front of us heading for the same cross walk. She was on her cell phone and it looked like she was in a heated argument with someone at the other end of the line. She was walking very fast in her frustration and not paying attention to where she was going. She was quickly making her way to the corner to cross in front of the traffic that had the green light. It was obvious she was not going to stop.

Nessie and I noticed a taxi cab barreling down the street headed in the same direction as the girl on her cell phone. The girl was getting close to the curb and we both looked at each other panicked knowing what would happen next.

"Miss!" Nessie yelled out to the girl. There were other people around or else I knew she would have used her super-human speed to reach the girl.

Of course, the girl didn't hear Nessie and took one step off the curb into the street. Quickly thinking that my powers were not as noticeable, I used my mind to pull the girl off the street back onto the curb. She stumbled backwards falling on her bottom as the taxi cab whizzed by five feet from her face, blaring its horn. By that time, Nessie had made her way over to the girl. Nessie looked back at me with wide eyes and a smile on her face. She helped the girl to her feet and picked up the girl's cell phone she had dropped during the fall. The girl, thinking Nessie was the one who pulled her back, thanked Nessie profusely before making her way across the street in the direction originally intended.

I stood there in shock. My heart was pounding from the anxiety of the previous thirty seconds. I had just saved a person's life and it scared me to think of what would have happened if I wasn't able move things with my mind. Nessie rushed over and gave me a lively hug, making us both jump up and down.

"Nice job Tala!" Nessie squealed.

"Shhh…there are people around."

"Oh no one is paying attention and if they did, no one knows what we're talking about," she insisted as she pulled me in the direction of the boutique.

"Oh my gosh you guys!!" Nessie exclaimed as she busted through my apartment door. She threw the pizzas on the kitchen counter and ran over to Seth and Jacob. They were both lying on the empty living room floor looking bored to tears. We had moved the television and any other form of entertainment to the trucks waiting outside.

As soon as I saw Nessie put one hand on each of their cheeks, I turned my back to them in embarrassment. I made myself busy with grabbing paper plates and cups for our dinner as Nessie recalled the events from the street, projecting the pictures into their minds. I'm not sure why I was embarrassed. I had never liked getting overly praised for anything and I knew Seth would get excited.

"Whoa!" Jacob and Seth said in unison. The next thing I felt was Seth's huge arms wrap around me from behind.

"Good for you, babes," Seth purred in to ear. It sent a shiver through my body.

"Yeah, yeah I know. It's 'hot'!" I used the word he used before to describe my ability the first time he witnessed it. "What was I suppose to do, let her get creamed by the taxi?"

"Are you embarrassed over that?" Seth could tell when I was acting shy from the many times he liked to pick on me.

"I guess. I'm just not comfortable with any extra attention."

"You should have seen it!" Nessie exclaimed. She proceeded to tell Jacob and Seth the whole story again verbally as if she didn't just replay it in their minds.

I groaned and rolled my eyes as I served everyone their pizza.

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**Yep, it's short. Sorry, but it's a good place to stop. This chapter was added after the story was originally finished. My BFF and sister asked me to put some filler in because they thought the story ended too quickly. So yes, that means the next chapter and an short epilogue is it. Boo-hoo! I know! I'm gonna miss you guys and your reviews :( But remember, the Embry story is next. My sister and BFF are reading it as I type it and they say it's really good. They loved this story so...**


	18. Chapter 18

Good snowy morning to you all...if you live in the Northern states of North America that is...I'm in Michigan and it's friggin cold. Why I live here, I'm not sure.

Sorry this took so long. I've been working on a new story and I almost forgot to post for this one! GEEZ

**This is the last full chapter my peeps. I will post an epilogue to wrap it all up. I'm sad because I will miss you all and I HOPE you will all follow the next story I'm working on. More details below.**

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Chapter 18

The clouds were threatening a rain storm, but being Washington residents, we were used to it and it didn't spoil our plans. As promised, we planned another get together with Jacob and Renesemee before they left to go back home and join the rest of their family. Since it was probably not a good idea to go hiking or enjoy some time at the beach, we decided on the standard dinner and a movie. There was a new barbeque restaurant Nessie wanted to try that was guaranteed to serve healthy portions of just about any type of meat you could legally hunt in the area. Obviously, the men were up for that.

Seth mentioned he had a surprise for me and that we were going to meet up with Jake and Nessie later at the restaurant. Seth wasn't usually concerned with the weather, but the impending storm seemed to annoy him. He asked me to make sure I dressed warm and wear my raincoat.

"Why are you so upset about a little rain? Does it have to do with my surprise?" I asked him as I grabbed my raincoat from the closet.

"I told you, you're not getting anything out of me until I decide it's time," he said with a teasing smile. The suspense was driving me crazy. Seth had been teasing me about the surprise all day. He wouldn't budge with any information. All he would tell me was that he knew I was going to like it. I loved surprises and any surprise from Seth I was guaranteed to love.

"Fine," I sighed in frustration.

Seth just laughed at me. "Grab your umbrella, too."

I was giddy with excitement and practically dancing in the passenger seat of Seth's truck. I couldn't come up with anything in my mind of what my surprise could be. I watched every move Seth made and every turn he took down dirt roads trying to figure out where we were going. We had been driving for awhile and I was sure we were off the reservation. I didn't know the area very well at all, so it was a good thing Seth was with me. We were guaranteed not to get lost. He knew the whole state like the back of his hand.

We slowed down in front of a two-track lane off of a dirt road. Seth looked over at me and gave me a huge grin that stretched from ear to ear. "Are you ready?" he asked with excitement.

"I think so. Do we get out now?" I was confused on what I needed to do.

"Nope, not yet. Just hold on," he said as he switched the truck into four-wheel drive. He turned the truck into the two-track lane that was surrounded by the forest. The ride was bumpy and a little scary. Since it was raining there was a fog that drifted across the trail and the further we drove into the forest, the more the trail disappeared. Seth maneuvered through the trees, evidently familiar with the path.

I was getting jarred around in my seat, even with the seat belt on, so I gripped onto the door handle and shut my eyes. I was starting to feel a little nauseous. Seth was next to me giggling like a little kid on a thrill ride.

Finally I felt the truck come to a halt. I snapped my eyes open and gave Seth a playful glare. "You're a crazy man! What the heck was that?"

"Oh, Tala, babes, you look a little green," Seth said as he tried to hide a chuckle. "Let's get you into some fresh air." He jumped out of the truck and quickly helped me out onto my feet. Seth snapped the umbrella over me to protect me from the rain. Now that we were in a clearing I noticed how hard the rain was coming down. I sucked in some fresh air and instantly felt better.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" Seth asked as he pulled me to his side and kissed my temple. I looked around at our surroundings trying to figure out what he was trying to surprise me with. He had parked the truck on a slope and I couldn't see anything over the hill. All I could see were woods, the two-track trail behind me, and the mountains peeking over the hill in front of me. The rain continued to come down hard and my pants and shoes were getting drenched. I didn't want to complain because it looked as though Seth was very excited to show me something.

"Ok, but do we have to go far?" I gave him a timid smile trying not to show my discomfort.

"Nope, it's just over this hill." Seth grabbed my hand and guided me through the tall grass. He wasn't under the umbrella with me and he was getting soaked from the rain. It didn't seem to bother him at all. I kept my head down to watch my footing. We only walked a few yards before we stopped.

"We're here," he said and pointed out to the scenery in front of us. I looked up to find a stunning view and my jaw dropped. Just over the hill from where Seth parked the truck was a small clearing from the forest. Just behind that the landscape dropped to reveal a narrow river with a spectacular view of the mountains just beyond it.

"Seth, it's amazing," I whispered.

"You really like it?" he asked.

I gave him a smile and nodded.

"It's yours. Well, it's ours. This is your surprise," he stumbled through his words nervously.

I gasped in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"This whole clearing, up to the river, and about 20 acres towards the state land," he was gesturing towards the surroundings, "I bought it. For you." He gave me a timid smile, not sure how to take my reaction.

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure what this meant. The only thing I could think to ask him was, "when?"

"It was offered to me quite awhile ago. I didn't really have any reason to buy it, but I did have a savings that I've been working on. Then as soon as I met you I went back to the owner and asked if it was still available. I was hoping that some day we would be together and we would need a place of our own. And then when you were going on and on about Sam and Emily's place, I knew you would love it here." He was looking down at the ground now. I realized I hadn't had much of a reaction about the surprise and it looked as though I was making Seth anxious.

I could feel my eyes start to fill up with happy tears. I couldn't believe Seth would do this for me. Although he wasn't purposing marriage, he was pretty much asking me to live with him and spend the rest of my life with him.

I dropped my umbrella and wrapped my arms around his neck. Reaching up on my toes, I gave him a firm kiss on the lips. "Thank you. It's the best gift anyone has ever given me. I love it." Seth gave me his smile that made my body melt and I instantly returned to kissing him.

"You're getting wet," he said as the rain soaked our bodies.

"I don't care." I continued to kiss him.

"Let's at least go back to the truck." He picked me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

We started heading back to the truck when a short chilling breeze blew past us. I shuddered from the damp cold. Seth stopped and became rigid. His eyes became wide and I could see the panic in them. He flared his nose and inhaled a sharp breath.

"Shit!" Seth hissed as he dropped me to the ground, "Stay right there." I suddenly panicked. The terror on his face made me extremely anxious. He was scanning the area and his eyes stopped when they got to the surrounding forest. I noticed his eyes narrow and they seemed to turn darker than usual. I was used to his cheery demeanor. Seth suddenly looked like another person to me.

"Seth, what is it?" I whispered with a quake in my voice. He was slowly inching away from me while his eyes were locked on the trees. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I was too scared to see what he was seeing. This whole scenario seemed too familiar. It seemed as though I was living my reoccurring dream.

"Vampires," he blurted out a second before he ripped into his wolf form. His clothes tore into shreds around him and fell to the ground. I screeched from the change. I had only witnessed it once before. Once the word Seth spoke registered in my mind I snapped my head in the direction of the trees. I didn't see anything and was waiting for something to approach us.

Seth was crouched down looking like he was getting ready to pounce if needed. His teeth were all showing and a feral growl was ripping from his chest. I looked back over towards Seth and my heart started pounding. I didn't know what to do. I was sitting on the ground with my arms behind me, slowly pushing myself away from the tree line. Seth let out a loud bark and I snapped my head towards his line of vision.

Three cloaked figures quietly floated from the tree line. Three vampires.

The vampire in the middle reached up to pull the hood of his black robe back from his face. His hand was chalky-white and lean. His dark hair fell to his shoulders and was getting darker from the wetness. Once his face was revealed I noticed his crimson eyes. From the description I received from the Cullens, I knew they weren't vegetarian vampires. My heart was racing and I could feel myself panting. I couldn't control my breathing.

All three vampires were focused on Seth. They didn't seem to notice me.

"Good afternoon. I'm Demetri of the Volturi," the tall vampire in the middle introduced himself. His voice was rough yet smooth and courteous. "I remember you as one of the Cullen's pets." That comment made Seth's growl increase in pitch.

"Please, relax," Demetri asked politely. "We are not here to harm anyone. We are here for a proposition. We have been following Renesemee and her dog, checking on her status, and we followed her here. We were also watching her in Seattle a few days ago."

The mention of Renesemee seemed to calm me a little. They were here to visit her. They didn't want to harm anyone. I had heard about the Volturi during our visit with the Cullens. They told me a little about the standoff and how the Volturi originally wanted Nessie destroyed, but the Cullens convinced them that she was harmless and posed no threat to their kind.

"As we were observing young Renesemee in both Port Angeles and Seattle, we noticed something marvelous about her friend. We thought our Master would be pleasantly surprised if we brought him home a nice trinket. Something that would be a remarkable asset to our guard. Something that could protect our Master in a way the rest of the guard cannot. Something that will propel all enemies away from him when he is threatened," Demetri said smoothly.

I quit breathing. Could he possibly be talking about me? I could propel things and I was with Nessie at the mall and in front of the pizzeria in Seattle. Had they been spying on us and noticed my ability?

The three vampires simultaneously turned their heads in my direction as if they could hear my thoughts. I let out the breath I was holding with a small whimper.

Demetri tilted his head and gave me a pleasant smile that looked wicked with his red eyes.

"Tala, I would like to change you and take you back to my Master," he said quickly.

Once the words were out of his mouth I saw Seth plunge his body towards all three vampires snapping his jaws near Demetri's face. Demetri and Seth both crashed into a tree snapping it in half. I heard Seth yelp and the crunching of stone. The other two vampires remained in their position watching the fight.

"Seth!" I screamed as I launched myself onto my feet. I was frightened for him knowing that three vampires were too much for him to handle without getting seriously injured. He needed back-up and he needed it now.

By this time the other two vampires had approached Demetri and Seth on the ground. I quickly focused my energy on the two vampires, letting my fear for Seth help force them away from him one at a time. Each time they made their way back to the scuffle on the ground and each time I pushed them away. I could feel myself getting weaker.

I finally felt my body lose all its energy and fell to the ground exhausted. I could still see the fight and I knew I couldn't do anything else to help Seth. I was weak, my body drained. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the fight, hoping I could regain a little more energy to help him. I started to sob as the rain continued to soak my body on the ground. I knew this was the end for Seth and I didn't know what would become of me. I knew they wanted me for my ability and if I could trade my life for Seth's, I would.

"Stop," I groaned through my tears. "I'll go with you. Please, just leave him alone."

The rumble stopped and all three vampires turned to look at me. Seth's wolf body was a crumpled heap on the ground. I could tell he was still breathing by the warm fog coming from his snout. Demetri stood up and floated towards me. He crouched down beside me grabbing my arm, exposing my wrist.

"That was remarkable, Tala. Your ability will be a wonderful gift for my Master. Once you become one of us, your energy to perform will be endless. You will never tire. Now sit back and relax." He brought my wrist up to his mouth.

I looked over at Seth. He was trying so hard to get back up and fight. I could feel my warm tears soaking my eyes as the cold rain soaked the rest of my body. My heart was clenching in my chest. And then I felt it; the searing pain of sharp teeth ripping into my flesh. I gasped out a scream and looked down to see Demetri's cold mouth covering my wrist. I small trail of blood came from his mouth and oozed down my arm. I closed my eyes and tried to pull my arm away, but his hard, icy hands had a firm grip. I could feel a slow burn creep up my arm that was hotter than any burn I had ever received in my life. The pain from the fire in my arm became more intense and I fought against the deafening scream that came out of my mouth, knowing it was only making Seth more miserable.

Unexpectedly, Demetri's mouth and hands let go of me. I opened my eyes wondering if the contact of his mouth leaving my arm meant I was finally finished burning. But I wasn't finished. The pain still lingered in my arm and seemed to be slowly spreading. Demetri's eyes were glaring towards the trees and I saw a flash of reddish-brown fur leap over me and knock Demetri to the ground. The next second I saw an enormous black wolf barrel towards Seth and the other two vampires. After seeing the other wolves appear, I suddenly felt a small amount of relief, even though I was still screaming out from the pain that was spreading up my arm.

Suddenly, Nessie was at my side.

"It's ok Tala, I'm here. I'm going to help you." Nessie said in her wind-chime voice. I looked up at her, clutching to her body begging her with my eyes help me. I tried to stop screaming to tell her what was hurting, but she seemed to know. She picked up my arm and placed it to her warm lips.

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**Ok, so the ending sounds familiar, but you know, she is her father's daughter. PLEASE review. I was pretty confident with the whole story until I got to the ending. I'll fill you in on my thoughts after the epilogue. I didn't want to disappoint anyone. **

**If you review, I'll send you an excerpt from my new Embry story. That is, if you want to read it :) Let me know.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A few of you know that I almost lost this...I would've died if I had to re-write it. **

**Anywho, this is it.**

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Sitting on the hill in the grass, I looked around the countryside that was now my new home. The leaves on the trees were full of autumn colors. It was still so surreal the changes in my life the last few years. Although crazy things had happened, I wouldn't change it for the world. I was happy.

"Hey babes," I heard in my ear as a pair of scorching, hot arms wrapped around me. I squeezed Seth's arms and reached back to kiss his cheek.

"Hey, yourself."

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" He asked innocently, but I knew the meaning behind it.

"Seth, they're not coming back for me. Please don't worry," I leaned my cheek to his and rubbed the other side of his face.

"I can't help it. I almost lost you once," he whispered and he squeezed me tighter. He was overly protective since the encounter with Demetri and he rarely let me enjoy my new home by myself. I didn't mind so much as long as Seth was there with me. I didn't like to be away from him either. I just didn't want him to worry so much.

I turned my body around to look at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

"The Cullens made it perfectly clear to the Volturi that I did not want to join their coven. Remember, Carlisle ensured us that they know I belong to the Cullens and the Volturi can't force me to become one of them." Even though that wasn't entirely true. I didn't belong to anyone but Seth. That was just the story Carlisle made up to guarantee my safety. "Demetri has no right to come back for me. He wasn't even supposed to confront us without speaking to the others anyway."

"Hopefully that creepy, ancient bloodsucker gave that bastard hell for almost starting another battle," Seth muttered while grinding his teeth. I gave him a disapproving look. He gave me an apologetic smirk in return.

"Well it's a good thing you guys didn't finish Demetri and the other two off or there would've been," I sighed and shivered thinking of Seth lying in a broken heap in this very same grass.

Seth had received the bulk of the attack before the other wolves and Nessie made an appearance. Several of Seth's bones were broken and he had to have several reset. Although his body healed quickly, he was still in extreme pain for about a week. His left leg still gave him problems.

"I can't get used to how hard you are," he said while poking at my waist, changing the subject. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. I was constantly hearing that comment from him. He was fascinated with the way my body had changed. "And that smell, I can't get used to that either!" he teased.

"What's wrong with it? I think it smells delightful!" I said as I smashed my stinky egg-salad sandwich into my mouth. "Mmmm…it tastes good too," I moaned with my mouth full.

"Gross. I hate hard boiled eggs and celery," he pretended to gag. "You've been eating those every day since your cravings started."

"The baby likes 'em too!" I said while rubbing my swollen, hard tummy.

"So, have you come up with any names yet, since you don't like the ones I've come up with?" Seth asked. I had vetoed just about every idea Seth had. He wanted his child to sound powerful, fast, and strong. His heart was in the right place, but the names he came up with were ridiculous.

"Sorry, but Jet and Hercules are not my style. I will consider Wolfgang, but the more I think about it…" I trailed off with a grimace on my face. "To be honest, I was thinking if it's a girl, we could name her Vanessa. Kind of after Renesemee. I would never take her unique name, but at least they could have the same nickname."

Seth smiled at that thought. He was so proud of his niece Nessie for helping save me from my transformation into a vampire. He took every opportunity he could to spoil her rotten. She had successfully sucked the venom out of my blood to stop the process. I found out soon after, Nessie's father, Edward did the exact same thing to her mother, Bella when they were in high school. That's where she got the idea. Thank God! The chilly scar that remained on my arm constantly reminded me of that afternoon four years ago.

"I like Vanessa," Seth nodded his head in agreement. "We'll have to discuss the boy's names though," he said. I just sighed. I was pretty sure if the baby was a boy, I would end up with a Wolfie.

"Well, we find out next week and we can battle it out then," I said and then kissed him with my egg-smelling lips. He kissed me back and grimaced from the taste. "Now let me finish my repulsive sandwich."

I turned around and snuggled backwards into Seth's chest. I enjoyed the view, and the rest of my lunch, wrapped in the arms of my loving husband.

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**Sooo...how did you like it? Did I get ya in the beginning there? hee hee**

**Give me your opinion please. I would love to hear them. I'm so close to 100 reviews!**

**For those of you who want a little blurb on my new story about Embry, let me know. I'm working on it now and I'll post it as soon as I can (probably after the New Year). Just put me on you Author Alert and I'm sure you'll get an email when I do.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and comments everyone. I've really enjoyed this whole process. Love ya! Happy Holidays!!**


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